OPEN

WORLD
AUDIOSCRIPTS

C1
ADVANCED
STUDENT’S
BOOK
Anthony Cosgrove and Claire Wijayatilake
AUDIOSCRIPT
STARTER
Track 002, page 8
Conversation 1
Speaker A:  What aspects of learning
English do you find the most difficult and
the easiest?
Speaker B:  I guess my weakest area
would be my speaking. I’m quite a shy
person really and when I speak I am really
conscious of the errors I make, particularly
with pronunciation.
Speaker A:  Like what?
Speaker B:  Well, there are certain
words in English that aren’t pronounced as
you read them or certain groups of letters
which can have different sounds
depending on the word. For example, the
letters o-u-g-h together. They can be
pronounced oo as in through or oh as in
though or or as in thought. I am always
mixing the sounds up.
Speaker A:  I know what you mean. I
have the same problem. And what about
the things you find the easiest?
Speaker B:  Oh, I don’t know. Probably
reading.
Speaker A:  Really? I have to say I
struggle with multiple choice questions in
readings. At this level of English, it can
sometimes be hard to decide which one is
correct.
Speaker B:  That’s true, but I would say
that the fact that I read so much in my own
language helps me.
Conversation 2
Speaker C:  Tell me about any hobbies
or interests that you have.
Speaker D:  Music, that is to say, I’m a
musician.
Speaker C:  Oh, me too! What do you
play?
Speaker D:  The guitar. I’m actually in a
moderately successful rock band. When I
say moderately successful, I mean in my
home city. We are not international rock
stars by any stretch of the imagination.
Having said that, we have opened for Foo
Fighters and Metallica.
Speaker C:  No way!
Speaker D:  Yes way! In fact, when
Metallica played, we got to spend time
with them backstage. They’re really cool
guys. James Hetfield, you know, the lead
singer and rhythm guitarist, even gave me
one of his guitars.
Speaker C:  You’re having me on!
Speaker D:  No. In fact, I played it for
the first time that same night on stage. My
old guitar stopped working for some
reason right in the middle of a song and
my spare had a broken string.
2
Speaker C:  What a nightmare!
Speaker D:  Yes, not exactly what you
want to happen when you are supporting
Metallica. But one of the Metallica
technicians lent me one of James’ guitars.
And it turns out that James himself was
watching us play at the time. He was so
impressed by my playing that he told me
to keep the guitar. Of course, I had him
sign it for me as well.
Speaker C:  You’re so lucky! And I’m so
jealous.
Conversation 3
Speaker E:  Where did you go for your
last holiday?
Speaker F:  I went to Argentina.
Speaker E:  Argentina, eh? That must
have been lovely. Did you visit Buenos
Aires?
Speaker F:  Well, I flew into Buenos
Aires airport and flew back from there as
well, but I only spent two nights there in
total.
Speaker E:  Oh, why was that?
Speaker F:  I was visiting some distant
relatives on my father’s side for the very
first time, and they live in the south, at the
top of Patagonia. I had a great time. Being
so far south, we saw a lot of Antarctic
wildlife. The penguins were amazing. And
we took a boat trip and saw baby whales
swimming with their parents. They were so
close to the boat, I could almost touch
them.
Speaker E:  That sounds amazing.
Speaker F:  I know, right?
Track 003, page 10
Arantzazu:  One of the biggest
problems I have with vocabulary is false
friends – words in English that have a
similar spelling to words in my own
language but which have a completely
different meaning. Take for example the
word idiom. In English, an idiom is a local
expression that is used in a specific
language, or in Spanish, un modismo.
In my language we have the word idioma,
which means a language, you know, so
English and Spanish are idiomas. I keep a
list of these false friends in my notebook,
and every time I come across a new one
I add it to that page.
Emre:  I’m an auditory learner, so I
imagine that I am hearing the words I
learn. I like to think about for example
words that rhyme. So to remember the
difference between recipe and receipt,
I imagine buying a bed sheet from a
department store, and I get a receipt for
my sheet. When a phrase rhymes like that,
it helps me remember it.
Fred:  I’m actually English but I have to
confess, my spelling isn’t great. Still, I
remember my teacher, when I was a lad,
explaining the difference between
compliment and complement. I mean, you
pronounce them the same, so how do you
tell the difference? Well, according to my
teacher, a compliment with an ‘i’ is when
someone says something nice – and nice
also has an ‘i’ in it, so compliment does
too. And a complement with an ‘e’ is when
something becomes complete, and that’s
also with an ‘e’. Sounds silly, but it has
stuck with me all these years.
Veronica:  I don’t know about you but I
find prepositions really confusing in
English. When I first started learning I
would translate prepositions from English
into Spanish, but I soon realised that
doesn’t work very well. Let me give you a
simple example. In English you use the
preposition about with the verb dream, to
dream about something. In Spanish, we
say soñar con or dream with something.
So one strategy I have now is to make sure
when I learn a new verb, I also record it
with its dependent prepositions and I also
write an example sentence to reinforce the
correct preposition in my mind. Simple, but
it works for me and I make far fewer
mistakes than I used to.
Track 004, page 12
Miroo:  Well, you know, a lot of computer
games originate from my country, South
Korea. And they’ve gone on to conquer
the world in a way. I started a blog,
originally in Korean, for gamers. It’s done
really well, but of course it’s restricted to
people who know Korean. So now I’ve
launched a new blog in English, and I
hope it’ll manage to get more visitors from
all over the world. So far, so good, I’d say.
I don’t want there to be any mistakes in the
content I write, so I’m going to work hard
on my English, starting next week. The
idea is that if I get enough followers in the
future, then I’ll be able to earn money from
advertisers. And if I’m global, it could be
huge!
Johan:  I’m from Germany, and there’s a
great word in English that comes from
German – wanderlust – and it’s from the
German words for hiking and love. But
these days wanderlust means a love for
exploring the world. I’ve definitely got it,
and for me, that’s the principal motivation
for learning English. I’ve been saving up
money by spending a year working on an
oil rig and that comes to an end next
month. And then the plan is for me to go
backpacking around the world, The Grand
Canyon in the USA is one destination I’m
really excited about. So yeah, I imagine
that I’ll basically be on the road until I run
out of cash.
Moufida:  In my country, Tunisia, it’s
normal to be bilingual because French is
widely spoken, along with Arabic, just like
in many other North African countries. But
in career terms, I’m concerned that if
someone knows just those two languages,
there might be a … I think the term is glass
ceiling, you know, you can only be
promoted so far in an organization, but no
further. But to really do well, you need to
be proficient in English as well. I’m
ambitious – my English is going to enhance
my employability. In fact, I am taking the
Cambridge Advanced exam in October.
One thing is for certain: when I’m older, I’ll
still continue to work on my English, really
push myself to improve. You never stop
learning a language.
UNIT 1
Track 005, page 14
Sarah:  I never realised how controversial
it would be to quit social media. Being part
of the digital generation, people assume
I’m incapable of being disconnected for
more than a few hours a day. When they
find out I only have one social media
profile – an inactive one at that – they tend
to think I’m anti-social, weird or behind the
times. Nothing could be further from the
truth. In fact, I love hanging out with
friends, playing sport and listening to
music. I’d say I’m a pretty well-balanced
person – just one who can’t be bothered to
follow every trend that comes along.
Track 006, page 14 & 15
Jimmy:  Well, I’ve just hit the 100,000
followers mark, which is an important
milestone for anyone trying to build their
social media presence. The last year has
been a bit overwhelming because I
wouldn’t call myself an extrovert, so being
in the public eye has been quite
challenging at times. I’ve had to face some
criticism, which I suppose is inevitable.
Some people say I come across as
arrogant, which is strange because in real
life, I’m not exactly bubbling over with self-
confidence. The rewards have made it
worthwhile though, so I’m not complaining.
Track 007, page 15
Daniel:  One thing that changed my
attitude to social media was when they
invented those apps where people can
track you. It’s not that I’m dishonest about
what I’m doing, but I do value my privacy.
Another issue is the way some people
behave online – as if there are no
consequences to what they say and do.
In the real world, they wouldn’t get away
with it. Although I have not been
personally affected, I have heard horror
stories about how devastating the effects of
people’s online behaviour can be.
Jo:  I was reluctant to sign up for a social
media account at first because it just
seemed like a really impersonal way to
keep in touch. I know that, like lots of
people my age, I was a bit behind the
times. But, to be honest, I’ve never looked
back. It’s really helped me relate to my
teenage grandchildren and keep up to
date with what they’re up to. I’ve also
found out about events in my local area
and got involved in voluntary work, so it
has actually opened up a whole new
world for me.
Khaled:  I’m a person who always takes
people at face value, but with social media
it pays to be a bit cautious. It’s undeniable
that a lot of people misrepresent
themselves online in ways that may seem
harmless but can have a negative impact
on others. It’s not so much about showing
off their cars, designer clothes or fancy
holidays; it’s the fact that they portray
themselves as always happy and
surrounded by friends – as if their lives are
perfect. This can make other people feel
really inadequate.
Track 008, page 15
Speaker 1:  My personal tutor is really
amazing. He is like an encyclopaedia
when it comes to the period of history
we’re studying. I’m sure I’m going to get a
good grade with him as a teacher.
Speaker 2:  My dad and I never talk
politics because it always ends up in an
argument. He has decided which political
party he supports and refuses to even
listen to any criticism of it, even in the face
of the facts.
Speaker 3:  A famous scientist visited
our university last week. He has made
many world-changing discoveries and won
awards, but he never talks about his own
achievements.
Speaker 4:  He tells some tall stories.
They’re not exactly untrue but you could
say he tends to embellish what actually
happened to make them a bit more
colourful.
Speaker 5:  One of the people I work
with never contributes to team projects. He
does his own work and if you ask him for
help, he says he’s busy. Oh, and he never
offers to make tea for anybody else,
although we all make it for him.
Speaker 6:  Marco is always the first
one into the office in the morning and the
last to leave. He never misses a deadline
and replies to emails in the evenings and
at weekends. He’s a model employee.
Track 009, page 16
1 Two of your children are twins, aren’t
they?
2 There should be more opportunities for
young aspiring female directors,
shouldn’t there?
Track 010, page 17
Anthea:  No, I don’t. I use WhatsApp to
send messages to my friends, and when I
have something interesting to post, I use
Instagram.
Robin:  It depends what you mean by
‘often’. I wouldn’t say my social media
habits are that different from anyone else
of my age. I mean, I do update most of my
accounts pretty much daily and check out
the latest posts or tweets by people that I
follow whenever I get a free moment. On
the other hand, I can easily go a few days
without any social media activity and to be
honest, when I go out, I’m definitely not
one of those people who is always staring
at their phone.
Track 011, page 20
Heidi:  Amalie, I can’t believe you
neglected to tell me we had an assignment
due on Monday.
Amalie:  I just assumed you knew, Heidi.
I thought you’d have the sense to ask the
teacher about the work you’d missed.
Heidi:  Well, I didn’t have the chance to
talk to her, did I? I only got out of hospital
on Friday. I thought you were my friend!
Amalie:  I am your friend!
Heidi:  You have a strange way of
showing it!
Amalie:  Well, listen. How about we try
to get it done together tomorrow? You
know me – I virtually specialise in doing
things at the last minute. If we miss the
class trip tomorrow, we could have a go at
it then.
Heidi:  Oh, no! I’ve had no fun at all
lately. I hate missing trips – and this one
sounds really great. I’ve always wanted to
go to that art gallery.
Amalie:  OK, well you’ll just have to do it
all on Sunday then.
Heidi:  Sunday happens to be my mum’s
birthday. If I’m not there for that, I’ll
certainly be in her bad books. I’m famous
for forgetting everyone’s birthdays. Just for
once, I’d like to show that I haven’t
forgotten. So it looks like there’s really no
hope of getting the assignment in on time.
Amalie:  I suppose you could try
emailing the teacher and explaining
everything. She might let you have an
extension, given that you were in hospital
last week.
Heidi:  Yes, good idea. That seems to be
the best solution. Hey, sorry if I was a little
shirty with you before. Catching up with
everything has been really stressful! Let me
buy you a coffee to make up for it.
Amalie:  Sure, why not?
AUDIOSCRIPTS 3
 Track 012, page 27
Conversation 1
Passenger 1:  Sorry to bother you, but
is it okay if I sit here? It’s just that there’s a
plug to charge my laptop. I need to do
some work on my way to Manchester.
Passenger 2:  Yes, of course. I’ll move
my things. I’m afraid I’ve made a bit of a
mess.
Passenger 1:  That’s quite all right.
I don’t need much space. Thank you
so much.
Conversation 2
Tourist:  Hi, we’ve just arrived in York
and we’re a little confused about how to
get around. Would you be so kind as to
give us some advice?
Clerk:  Certainly. You might find this city
map useful. It shows all the major
attractions. On the other side, you can see
the opening hours. And here’s a bus
timetable and the numbers of some taxi
companies.
Tourist:  That’s wonderful, thank you.
Clerk:  Is there anything else I can help
you with?
Tourist:  Well, if it’s not too much trouble,
could you recommend somewhere to buy
a few small souvenirs?
Clerk:  Yes, the cathedral shop is
excellent.
Tourist:  We’re off to the cathedral now
so that’s perfect. Thank you so much.
Clerk:  Glad to be of help.
Conversation 3
Customer:  Hi, I’m really sorry but I
actually asked for avocado on my salad,
not chicken.
Waiter:  Oh, I’m sorry about that.
Customer:  Sorry to be a nuisance but
would you mind changing it? I’m vegan, so
I don’t eat chicken.
Waiter:  Yes, of course. My mistake. I’ll
bring you some more drinks while you’re
waiting. On the house.
Waiter:  How was your meal?
Customer:  Delicious, thanks. Can I have
the bill please?
Waiter:  Sure. I’d be very grateful if you
could give us some feedback on our
website. All customers who do so are
entered into a prize draw where you could
win a free meal for two.
Customer:  It would be my pleasure.
UNIT 2
Track 013, page 31
Interviewer:  Most of us work
throughout the year largely in order to
fund a few precious days of holiday. But a
privileged few are able to live on the road
and make a living by writing about their
experiences for their online followers.
4
I’m referring of course to professional
travel bloggers, and I have two of the most
successful here with me in the studio today.
Elsa, Rodney, welcome.
Elsa & Rodney:  Thank you.
Interviewer:  Elsa, how do other people
generally regard travel blogging and
travel bloggers like yourself?
Elsa:  Well, you might think they’d all envy
us – you know, what’s not to like about
roaming round the world and making an
excellent living from it? However, most of
my followers are aware that it has taken a
lot of dedication and sacrifice to get me
here. I quit a really lucrative job to do this.
I got rid of my apartment, and now,
everything I own can be squeezed into a
75-litre rucksack. Now, I don’t know
anyone who’d swap what they have for
that! I’m often asked how I can possibly
get by, but the truth is that if you haven’t
used something you own in the last 24
hours, you don’t need it. People know I’m
passionate about what I do and that I
spend hours updating my blog,
responding to comments … And there’s a
common belief that I’m an incredibly
skilled negotiator because I can talk hotels
into actually paying me to stay with them.
But the simple truth is that usually, I
approach them and they just say they’re
up for it! Just like that! And there’s no sign
that’s about to change, fingers crossed! My
services are still in demand.
Interviewer:  Rodney, you’ve built up a
huge following with your travel blog.
What’s the secret to attracting such a wide
readership?
Rodney:  Well, content is king, as they
say. Lots of bloggers make a point of
uploading new content as often as they
can, but for me, the focus has to be on
quality over quantity. And even if you’ve
managed to get lots of keywords into your
articles, tagged them appropriately and so
on so that search engines can find them,
well, lots of other blogs have all that too,
so what makes yours stand out? Maybe
you’re a vegan, so you do the vegan travel
blog. Or you’re travelling in a van. Or you
do the vegan van travel blog – now you’re
talking!
Interviewer:  Elsa, your blog’s been
established for seven years now. Do you
ever look back at your very first blog
posts?
Elsa:  Occasionally, and it’s intriguing to
see how my style has developed as a
writer. At times I still have to spend hours
getting an article just right – planning,
drafting and redrafting and proofreading.
But I have to say I’m not particularly proud
of those first few posts. I can’t often see
what their intent was. I mean, they weren’t
poorly written, but nor were they really
focused on giving the reader what they
wanted. More like ‘This was my itinerary
when I was in Mozambique’, rather than
‘Here are five gorgeous isolated beaches
you can go to in Mozambique’ … They still
read well I guess, but so few people saw
them that it’s not worth losing sleep over!
Interviewer:  You’re both clearly very
successful bloggers now, but would you
say you’ve made mistakes?
Rodney:  Oh inevitably, especially when
I was starting out, just learning the ropes.
But it was often quite a while before it
dawned on me that I’d got something
wrong, and so the followers I thought I
might be able to reach ultimately never
ended up following me.
Elsa:  Yes, as with any web service, we
need to get what is referred to in the
business as authority, or the recognition
that yours is a quality page which other
people link to and so on. That doesn’t
come overnight. The authority your site has
now is a result of your content creation a
year or two back. And you may not be
aware that you screwed up when you
created the content all that time ago.
Interviewer:  Sure! Well, you must have
had some absolutely amazing …
Track 014, page 33
Mum:  Hello?
Rudy:  Mum! Hi, it’s me!
Mum:  Rudy, hello love! I’ll just get your
dad … It’s Rudy! We’ve been looking at
the atlas to try and work out where you
are!
Dad:  Rudy?
Rudy:  Hi Dad. It’s great to hear you.
Mum:  So how’s it going?
Rudy:  Oh, it’s absolutely gorgeous here
– I’m loving every moment. It’s actually
rather hotter than I thought it would be.
Dad:  How was your flight?
Rudy:  Fine, I was expecting a bit of
turbulence, but actually it was quite
smooth. I guess that’s the way with these
huge jumbo jets.
Mum:  So are you still near the airport?
Rudy:  No, I took a night-bus up to the
far north of the island. That’s where I am
now.
Mum:  A night-bus? Oh dear, rather you
than me!
Rudy:  Yeah, well it was marketed as a
‘super deluxe high-speed luxury executive
coach’.
Dad:  That sounds alright!
Rudy:  Yeah, except the description was
pretty misleading. The heating didn’t work,
and it was incredibly slow – I mean it
stopped in just about every single village
on the way so it took considerably longer
than I had expected.
Mum:  Oh dear. So I guess you didn’t get
much sleep and you must be completely
exhausted?
Rudy:  Well I guess I should be, but in
actual fact, it was great to chat to the other
people on the bus. And this morning I had
some fairly strong coffee at the bus station,
so now I’m ready for action!
Mum:  So what’s the first thing you’re
planning to do today?
Rudy:  Well I wanted to kick things off
with something a bit more extreme, so I’m
going waterskiing for the first time.
Dad:  Oh now you’re talking! I did it a
few times when I was younger. You’ll love
it!
Mum:  But be careful though …
Rudy:  Of course I will, Mum. But yeah, I
have to admit I’m feeling slightly anxious
about it …
Mum:  You’re not going to end up
spending too much on this trip, are you?
Rudy:  Don’t worry, the trip today was
pretty cheap actually because I booked it
so far in advance. You know me – I like to
keep things fairly economical if I can!
Mum:  Yeah. Well, keep us posted.
Dad:  Enjoy the day.
Rudy:  Alright, speak soon then.
Track 015, page 35
Examiner:  In this part of the test, I’m
going to give you each three pictures. I’d
like you to talk about two of them on your
own for about a minute.
Here are your pictures. They show people
preparing to use various modes of
transport. I’d like you to compare two of
the pictures, and say why the people
shown might have chosen each mode of
transport, and what the drawbacks of
travelling in these situations could be.
Track 016, page 35
Examiner:  In this part of the test, I’m
going to give you each three pictures. I’d
like you to talk about two of them on your
own for about a minute.
Here are your pictures. They show people
preparing to use various modes of
transport. I’d like you to compare two of
the pictures, and say why the people
shown might have chosen each mode of
transport, and what the drawbacks of
travelling in these situations could be.
Giuseppe:  OK, well, the two photos I’d
like to focus on are the helicopter crew,
and the cyclist. In both cases they’re all
getting ready to travel, but the
fundamental difference is the kind of
journey they’re about to make. I guess the
helicopter crew are a rescue team or
paramedics or something along those
lines. They’re clearly in a hurry to get
someone to hospital for what is
presumably emergency treatment, and the
helicopter is perfect because it enables
them to get there at the greatest speed.
In contrast, the young man looks as if he’s
a student and has chosen to hire a bike,
which must be a convenient and
inexpensive way to get around the city.
One disadvantage that both modes of
transport have in common is that they
involve some element of risk or danger.
Cycling in busy traffic can be hazardous,
although wearing a helmet and using cycle
lanes make it safer. Similarly, the helicopter
rescue team might have to go up a
mountain or out to sea in all sorts of
weather conditions, meaning that they
sometimes risk their lives to save others.
Examiner:  Thank you.
Track 017, page 36
Narrator:  Now turn to part 3. You will
hear an interview in which two
psychologists called Matthew Partridge
and Emma Macedo are talking about the
benefits of holidays. For questions 1–6,
choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits
best according to what you hear. You’ll
hear the recording twice. You now have
seventy seconds to look at part 3.
Presenter:  My first guest today is
psychologist Matthew Partridge, who’s
written extensively on people’s reasons for
wanting to go on holiday. Matthew, why is
it that we love our holidays so much?
Matthew:  Because we really value
them, and of course many adults still
cherish happy memories of childhood
holidays. But as to why, well it’s largely
dependent on the age of the person you’re
interviewing. There are lots of common
answers, like having carefree time in an
unfamiliar place. Adults love having
quality time with their kids, who in turn are
actually more interested in exciting stuff
like roller-coaster rides, or sensory
experiences like splashing in the sea. In
contrast, for adults it’s almost the reverse
– what they most value is the calm, quiet
time where they don’t have to do anything!
The other end of the spectrum, as it were.
Presenter:  Sure. Well my second guest
is also a psychologist. Emma Macedo,
welcome to the show.
Emma:  Thank you.
Presenter:  Emma, work has been done
to measure the fun people have on
holiday. Tell us about that.
Emma:  Yes, there was a study in the
Netherlands, and in order to get a
meaningful picture of a complex issue,
several hundred holidaymakers were
interviewed about their enjoyment of their
holidays. And what emerged from that
was the notion of a holiday happiness
curve. For the first … say ten percent of the
time, people often report a lower mood,
perhaps caused by congestion driving to
the airport or something. This then
improves for a substantial central section
of the break, followed quite often by a
quick dip, perhaps as it dawns on people
that it’s coming to an end. But they tend to
enjoy the closing stages, perhaps trying to
make the most of the time remaining, or
even looking forward to getting back
home again.
Presenter:  How easy or difficult is it to
interpret tourists’ accounts of their
enjoyment levels during their holidays?
Matthew:  It tends to be very tricky.
I once asked groups of tourists on a five-
day cycling tour of Scotland to keep
diaries on their travels, which I would then
use for my research. I did the same with
groups on a three-week cruise of the Arctic
too, and conducted follow-up interviews
on their return home. Many of the diary
entries focused to quite a substantial extent
on the daily obstacles encountered. But
when I spoke to them later, these snags
that had marred the excursion at the time
were rapidly forgotten, and their
recollections were overwhelmingly positive.
So they had what we can call a rose-tinted
view of their time away.
Presenter:  So researching holiday
experience can be more complex? What
do you both think?
Emma:  Absolutely. Depending on what
kind of job a person has, if they’ve got
deadlines to get out of the way before their
holiday, this can lead to stress. But it’s
questionable whether that stress should be
seen as being holiday-related, rather than
work-related.
Matthew:  And similarly, people can
come back from their holidays feeling
fantastic, having totally forgotten about
work for a week – like Emma was
describing. But the moment they walk back
into their office, there’s this backlog of
work that confronts them. And that can
give rise to negative feelings. But again,
should this be put down to the holiday? Or
just treated as a sort of side-effect of
having been away? I think you could
argue either way.
Presenter:  I see. And does research into
tourism give us plenty to feel positive about
or does it leave us feeling rather
disappointed?
Emma:  Well, you don’t always get a
consensus when you look at different
pieces of research, but it’s undeniable that
a trip away, however long it is, does you a
huge amount of good. And it can lead to
improved performance when you get back
to work or study after your holiday. This
should be looked at in parts of the world
where it’s not standard to have statutory
holiday pay. For example, in the US,
workers only get about 10 days off
annually, compared to over 20 in Europe,
so employees are not necessarily feeling
the same benefits. But what’s most
depressing, I suppose, is that with all you
gain from a holiday in terms of
psychological and physical wellbeing, it all
tends to be so brief and wear off after a
week or two. And then you’re back to your
pre-holiday levels.
AUDIOSCRIPTS 5
Presenter:  I see. Any tips for getting the
most out of our holidays?
Matthew:  Various things. One is to
immerse yourself in the place you’re going
to visit ahead of the trip, for example by
reading a novel set there, or studying the
guidebook. And if possible, don’t restrict
yourself to just one holiday a year if you
really want to get the psychological benefit
that traveling can have, for yourself and
your travel companions.
Emma:  Sure, people tend to have
holidays only occasionally because of the
cost, the logistics, and all the time required
to make plans. But ideally we should be
doing the opposite. And it’s easier to get
the trip you want if you reserve well
ahead, while there’s plenty of availability.
That’s assuming you already know who
you’ll be wanting to go with of course!
Presenter:  Great. Thank you both very
much.
Narrator:  Now you’ll hear part 3
again.
Repeat Dialogue
Narrator:  That’s the end of part 3.
Track 018, page 39
Conversation 1
Call operator:  Hello, Fasttrack Rentals.
Can I take your name, please?
Customer:  Sure, it’s Bryan del Rey. I’m
looking to rent a car on Friday.
Call operator:  OK. How long would
you like the vehicle for?
Customer:  Just for six days.
Call operator:  OK, in that case, I
would suggest you go for our weekly
rental package. It will work out cheaper
for you than paying a daily rate. But
before I can give you any prices, I’ll need
to know what type of car you are looking
to rent.
Customer:  OK, well, there are three of
us and we will need space for our
suitcases and other luggage, so what
would you recommend?
Call operator:  I would suggest a five-
door saloon car, with plenty of space in
the boot. Prices start at £30 per day or
£150 at the weekly rate.
Customer:  That sounds fine. By the way,
I have a Spanish driving license. Am I
correct in assuming I’m OK to use that?
Call operator:  Yes, that is fine as long
as you are over 21 years of age.
Customer:  No problem there. What
about insurance?
Call operator:  Well, we offer bronze,
silver and gold packages. Bronze works
out the cheapest as there is no extra cost
on top of the rental, but there is an
insurance excess of £500 in the event of
an accident. Coverage is third party, fire
and theft only. Silver has an additional
£20 per week charge but has a lower
6
excess of £300. It offers fully
comprehensive cover with the exception of
scratches and dents to the vehicle, which
you would still be liable for. Gold comes in
at £50 extra but offers no insurance excess
and full cover for any damage including
cosmetic damage. You also get free
breakdown cover.
Customer:  I think we’ll go for the Gold
package. Better safe than sorry.
Call operator:  OK, great. Now, I need
to take down a few personal details in
order to get things set up. Can I start by
asking you to spell your name …?
Conversation 2
Customer:  Wow, you got here fast.
I only called 20 minutes ago.
Mechanic:  We aim to please. So what
seems to be the problem?
Customer:  Well, I’m no expert, but I
think there is a problem with the cooling
system. The car is constantly overheating.
Mechanic:  OK, can you pop the bonnet
open? I’ll take a look … Could you start
her up for me, please?
Customer:  Sure …
Mechanic:  OK, I think I’ve got to the
bottom of this? The radiator is leaking. We
need to get you towed to a garage.
Customer:  OK, is that included as part
of the breakdown coverage?
Mechanic:  Yes, it is. I’ll contact the tow
truck team right away.. They should be
here within the hour. They’ll tow you to
either your final destination or to one of
our recommended garages. They’ll have
you up and running again in no time.
UNIT 3
Track 019, page 44
Speaker 1:  Did you know that the word
salary derives from the Latin word for salt,
salarium? It may be one of the cheapest
and most readily available items on your
shopping list today, but salt has had a
tremendous importance in economies
across the world throughout history. Due to
legal restrictions in its production, it was
precious enough to be welcomed as
payment for wages as well as in trade. I
had always wondered why we say
someone is ‘not worth his salt’ when we
mean he is not good enough. So is that
linked to salt being used to pay workers?
Another thing I learnt is that salt is still
used as currency today among the
nomads of the Danakil plains in Ethiopia.
Track 020, page 44
Speaker 2:  The benefits of using
seashells as currency were many: they are
small, light, durable and easy to transport.
Perhaps the key advantage was that they
have very specific shapes and distinctive
textures, making forgery a challenge.
Apparently, China was the first to use them
as currency, which surprised me as the
cowry shells came from places like the
Maldives and other parts of the Indian and
Pacific oceans. I need to do some more
research on how they managed to
transport them so far. One really
fascinating fact is that the Chinese
language still reflects this aspect of China’s
history as words related to money contain
the symbol for a cowry shell!
Track 021, page 44
Speaker 1:  I’ve heard the expression
‘not for all the tea in China’ used to say
there is no price high enough, but I didn’t
realise it related to the time when tea was
actually a form of currency. From the 9th
century onwards, the Chinese Emperor
had a monopoly on tea, making it hard for
ordinary people to get hold of and easier
for his empire to oversee. Tea bricks were
produced in the Chinese province of
Sichuan and transported in caravans of
yaks and camels. The bricks were of
various sizes and qualities, the poorest
quality ones containing extras like twigs,
soot and wood shavings. It’s not clear if
these went on to be drunk but I don’t think
they would have made a very appetising
cuppa!
Speaker 2:  This form of currency
actually relates to the present day rather
than to a period of history. In many parts
of Africa, pre-paid mobile phone minutes
have been serving as de facto currency. In
fact, it would be interesting to see how
widespread this actually is. It occurs
because regulations affecting banks mean
that account holders are not permitted to
transfer money via their phones. As up to
99.5% of connections are pre-paid in
countries such as Nigeria, Ghana and
Uganda, users’ credit can be used for
digital purchases such as games and song
downloads. The airtime can also be
exchanged for cash with phone dealers or
even bartered for goods and services.
Track 022, page 49
Bruno:  I’ve been trying to get my head
around Bitcoin and crypto-currency but I
find it all so confusing. Could you give me
a breakdown of what they are and how
they work, in simple terms?
Alice:  I’ll do my best.
Bruno:  OK, so let’s start with the obvious
question – what is it exactly?
Alice:  Well, Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency,
a form of electronic cash.
Bruno:  Well, I know that much.
Alice:  Good. So you are aware then that
cryptocurrencies are decentralised digital
currencies without a central bank or single
administrator that can be sent from user to
user on the peer-to-peer bitcoin network
without the need for intermediaries.
Bruno:  You’ve lost me there.
Alice:  OK, let me rephrase that. Basically
they’re internet-based currencies but
outside of the control of banks and
international currencies.
Bruno:  OK, right. Is that good?
Alice:  Well, yes, in theory. The idea is
that Bitcoin is controlled by the users and
that it cuts out the middle man.
Bruno:  I’m sorry. What do you mean by
‘cuts out the middle man’? I don’t know that
term.
Alice:  In this context it means that you
are not paying fees to banks or other
financial services when you buy and sell or
transfer money.
Bruno:  Right. I like the sound of that. So
how does it work? What I mean is: how
can I get it?
Alice:  Well, you start by installing a
wallet on your computer.
Bruno:  A wallet? I’m afraid I don’t follow.
Alice:  Well, put simply, it’s a piece of
software on your computer that allows you
to send, receive or transfer Bitcoin. It’s
literally an electronic wallet where you
keep your Bitcoin.
Bruno:  OK. So how do people buy and
sell with Bitcoin?
Alice:  To pay for something, you log into
your wallet. You receive a Bitcoin address,
sometimes in the form of a QR code and
you enter how much Bitcoin you want to
send. You then add the transaction to the
network.
Bruno:  I am sorry, I didn’t quite get that
last part. You said something about QR
codes, right?
Alice:  Yes, what I mean by that is those
funny square codes that look a bit like
barcodes. A lot of businesses use them
these days.
Bruno:  Oh yes, I know what you mean.
OK, I get that part. But I do have another
question. If Bitcoin is decentralised like you
say, who administers it and verifies these
transactions?
Alice:  All transactions are tracked on the
blockchain, which, to put it in a nutshell, is
a type of electronic ledger, or record book.
Each transaction is verified by volunteers,
often called ‘miners’. I won’t go into details
but Bitcoin miners can also earn Bitcoin by
doing this work.
Bruno:  OK. And one last question. What
are the advantages and disadvantages of
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies?
Alice:  Well, apart from the ones I have
already mentioned, it is very secure and
resistant to online fraud because of its
cryptography, and it cannot be
counterfeited or hacked. Having said that,
it is a target for online scammers, so like
anything involving money online, you do
need to be careful. The other big
disadvantage at the moment is its volatility.
You have probably seen on the news that
the real world monetary value of Bitcoin
has gone up and done a lot over the last
few years.
Bruno:  So what you are saying is it’s a
bit like the stock market and if you invest in
Bitcoin, you could lose money.
Alice:  Exactly. Like everything in life,
there is an element of risk involved, but
many experts think it and other
cryptocurrencies could revolutionise the
world of finance in the same way that
email and social media have changed
how we communicate.
Bruno:  Thanks, Alice. I’ll certainly look
into it more now.
Track 023, page 50
Narrator:  Now turn to part 4. Part 4
consists of two tasks. You’ll hear five short
extracts in which people are talking about
events and services related to money. Look
at Task 1. For questions 1–5, choose from
the list (A–H) what each speaker says was
the purpose of each event or service. Now
look at Task 2. For questions 6–10, choose
from the list (A–H) how each speakers feels
about the event or services he or she
describes. While you listen you must
complete both tasks. You now have 45
seconds to look at part 4.
Speaker 1:  Have you ever heard of
Gamers for Giving? It’s a gaming
tournament held in Michigan, which
founder Zach Wigal describes as a
‘celebration of gaming culture’. Well, that’s
right up my street anyway, but to make it
100 times more worthwhile, the proceeds
of around half a million dollars go to
Gamers Outreach, who place ‘Gaming
Go-Karts’ in Children’s hospitals. These are
robust gaming systems with the latest
software that can be wheeled into a
patient’s room to give access to what
Wigal calls ‘recreation therapy’. Volunteers
act as digital activity managers,
distributing games, solving technical issues
and even playing with the kids. Sounds like
the perfect excuse to have some fun!
Speaker 2:  Apparently, these days
there’s a drive to start ‘money
management’ skills earlier and earlier. I
don’t think we ever thought about money
management when I was a kid, apart from
which sweets to buy with our pocket
money, but this organisation called
Coalition for Personal Economic Literacy
has set up so-called ‘standards in
economic education’ for children from
kindergarten upwards. According to them,
a fourth grader should be able to
understand how basic pay and tax
deductions work. By the age of 12, they
are supposed to understand about
government benefits and earned versus
unearned income. To my mind, kids should
be kids. They have plenty of time to learn
about all that when they’re older.
Speaker 3:  It seems unlikely in these
days of digital reselling that people still get
up early on a Saturday morning to go to a
muddy field or carpark to rummage
through stuff other people are throwing
out. Or so I thought. They do say ‘one
man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ and
this seems to apply perfectly to car boot
sales. There’s something in the atmosphere
which sets them apart from other shopping
experiences. There’s always the remote but
thrilling chance that you might find the
bargain of a lifetime. I love the amateur
entrepreneurship and good-natured
haggling at these events. It’s fascinating to
see what other people are selling – and
buying.
Speaker 4:  Recently I attended a free
business seminar. While I was registering
for it, I was asking myself how on earth the
organisers could put on such an event
without charging for admission. I mean,
surely they’d have to rent the venue and
pay the speakers? What was the point? I
attended the event with that question in
mind and I soon had it answered. There
were lots of paid extras on offer, such as
virtual reality experiences and
consultations with experts. There was even
a photo booth that let you share pictures of
yourself on social media. Over the day, the
organisers definitely weren’t out of pocket,
and had certainly achieved their aim of
getting themselves into the public eye.
Speaker 5:  I have so many loyalty
cards for different stores it’s getting out of
hand. To be honest, I can’t keep track of
them and don’t even know how they all
work. So, I was interested to read an
article about how research has shown that
the savings for the customer are barely
worth the effort of getting these cards. For
example, you would have to shop in a
particular supermarket every week for two
years to get a free weekly shop. The ones
that actually benefit from these schemes
are the companies that operate them. The
information they gain through the use of
loyalty cards affords them major strategic
and financial advantages. Given all this, I
don’t think I’ll bother with them anymore.
Narrator:  Now you’ll hear part 4
again.
Repeat Speakers 1–5
Narrator:  That’s the end of part 4.
Track 024, page 53
Conversation 1
Customer:  Hi I’m interested in opening
a joint account with my partner. Could you
tell us what we need to do?
Teller:  Sure. Are either of you already
customers?
Customer:  Yes, I have my current
account with you but my partner banks
elsewhere.
AUDIOSCRIPTS 7
Teller:  That’s fine. We just need to see
some proof of identify for both of you.
Either a passport or driving licence with a
photo on. You’ll need to deposit at least
£20 initially.
Customer:  No problem. And can you
explain a little bit about how your online
banking works?
Teller:  Yes, it’s really easy. We will send
you each a card reader along with your
debit cards within five working days. You’ll
need your card reader to make payments
by bank transfer. And it’s easy to manage
your payees online. Once you have set up
a payee, you won’t need to do so again
for future transactions.
Customer:  But what about security?
Teller:  You’ll have a password and you’ll
set up security questions with secret
answers to protect your account. Once
you’re in your account, you can set up,
cancel or change standing orders and
direct debits.
Customer:  Sorry, what’s the difference
between a standing order and a direct
debit? I thought they were the same?
Teller:  Well, they’re very similar. A
standing order is always the same amount,
whereas a direct debit can be changed by
the recipient. So, for example, electricity
bills will be different every month, so
would be paid by direct debit, whereas
something like a club membership will be
the same every time.
Customer:  Oh, I see. So, shall we fill in
the forms now …
Conversation 2
Customer:  Hi. I bought these boots
online and they don’t fit very well. I was
planning to exchange them, but I’ve just
had a look and the next size up is not
available. Could I get a refund, please?
Shop assistant:  Can I see your receipt
please? Unfortunately, we can’t give a
refund on these items because they were in
the sale. We can give you a credit note
instead.
Customer:  Sorry, what’s a credit note?
Shop assistant:  It means you can
replace the boots with anything in the shop
up to the amount you paid for them, which
was, er … £36.50.
Customer:  What if I can’t find anything I
want?
Shop assistant:  The credit note is valid
for up to six months from today.
Customer:  Oh, that sounds OK then. I’ll
have a look around and if I can’t find
anything, I’ll come back in a few weeks.
Conversation 3
Dominique:  Pete, I need to borrow
some money off you. I am flat broke.
Pete:  Sorry, Dominique, but this time I
cannot bail you out. I’m barely getting by
8
myself at the moment, what with the course
fees being due next month. I can just about
afford to pay those but then I am pretty
much living hand-to-mouth until the end of
the semester.
Dominique:  Then I’m in even deeper
trouble. I dipped into the money I put aside
for the tuition fees, just to get by, and now I
don’t know where I’m going to find the
money. I can’t ask Mum and Dad for
anything as they have already given us
both more than they can afford. And I
have maxed out my credit card, so I can’t
use that to get me out of jail.
Pete:  Have you spoken to the bank about
extending your overdraft?
Dominique:  No, not yet. I am reluctant
to get into more debt.
Pete:  I don’t think you have a choice here
– it’s that or be expelled from the course. If
you are worried about the debt, perhaps
you should consider a part-time job, you
know, in a bar or restaurant somewhere.
They’re advertising for someone to work
Saturdays in that clothes shop in town, the
one next to our favourite coffee shop.
Dominique:  But that would mean losing
my Saturdays.
Pete:  I know, but you have to face up to
reality. Sooner or later you are going to
have to pay your own way. You have
sponged off me and Mum and Dad long
enough.
Track 025, page 53
Dominique:  Pete, I need to borrow
some money off you. I am flat broke.
Pete:  Sorry, Dominique, but this time I
cannot bail you out. I’m am barely getting
by myself at the moment, what with the
course fees being due next month. I can
just about afford to pay those but then I
am pretty much living hand to mouth until
the end of the semester.
Dominique:  Then I am even deeper
trouble. I dipped into the money I put aside
for the tuition fees, just to get by, and now I
don’t know where I am going to find the
money. I can’t ask Mum and Dad for
anything as they have already given us
both more than they can afford. And I
have maxed out my credit card so I can’t
use that to get me out of jail.
Pete:  Have you spoken to the bank about
extending your overdraft?
Dominique:  No, not yet. I am reluctant
to get into more debt.
Pete:  I don’t think you have a choice here
– it’s that or be expelled from the course. If
you are worried about the debt, perhaps
you should consider a part-time job, you
know, in a bar or restaurant somewhere.
They’re advertising for someone to work
Saturdays in those clothes shop in town,
the one next to our favourite coffee shop.
Dominique:  But that would mean losing
my Saturdays.
Pete:  I know, but you have to face up to
reality. Sooner or later you are going to
have to pay your own way. You have
sponged off me and Mum and Dad long
enough.
UNIT 4
Track 026, page 55
Darren:  Hi everyone, my presentation
today is about a groundbreaking
discovery that was announced in the US
by two scientists, Konstantin Batygin and
Mike Brown. They’ve actually uncovered
evidence of a “new” planet in our solar
system, called Planet 9. It orbits the sun,
and so it can be considered part of our
solar system although its orbits actually
take ten to twenty thousand years. Unlike
bodies such as Pluto, which aren’t of
sufficient size to be considered as planets,
this one definitely meets the criteria. Planet
9 is about 80 billion kilometres away from
Earth, much further away when compared
to the other planets in our solar system.
Neptune, for example, is around four
billion kilometres away. But the way that it
dominates its region of the solar system is
what has been characterised as ‘planet-
like’ by various commentators.
Beyond Neptune is a collection of smaller
bodies known as the Kuiper Belt. This is a
collection of thousands of icy bits of debris,
and the existence of this new planet in this
region is thought to account for the fact
that these frozen objects are moving as if
orbiting around something that hadn’t
previously been seen. What is more, each
of these objects was found to be orbiting
at an absolutely identical angle. The
probability of that happening randomly is
about 0.007 percent, so it is reasonable to
assume there must actually be something
there, even if it can’t be seen!
Track 027, page 55
Darren:  Now, of course, all the planets
in the solar system have been known
about since ancient times, with the
exception of two which were found more
recently. So if indeed this is a planet, it
would be a third newly discovered one,
making the discovery a real rarity. And it
would be the ninth planet away from the
sun, hence its name.
One of the biggest questions is how it
came into being. One theory is that Planet
9 was one of the first bodies formed in our
solar system, along with Uranus and
Neptune, and all these planets went on to
grab all the gas that was around them.
However, Planet 9 is unique in that it
ended up being solid, with a core of iron.
Over time, Planet 9 ended up being much
further away than all the others from the
sun, possibly because it was ejected into a
distant orbit after being drawn towards
Jupiter and being acted on by its
gravitational pull.
If all this sounds rather vague, it’s because
much of this theory is just that, hypothesis
as opposed to fact. Of course, there’s a
great deal about the solar system that we
can be virtually 100 percent sure about,
but what makes Planet 9 so amazing is
that it shows that our awareness of it is
incomplete, even after all these years.
Of course, it’s possible that Batygin and
Brown might be proved wrong or that
there may be no conclusive evidence one
way or the other, but that remains to
be seen.
Track 028, page 61
HR Manager:  How do GPFT’s core
values reflect your own beliefs about the
environment?
Mariza:  That’s a good question. I’m
passionate about reducing household
emissions, and I know the company shares
this vision …
HR Manager:  Being a recent graduate,
do you think you have enough experience
for this post?
Mariza:  Let me put it this way. Whilst it is
true that I’ve only been in full-time work for
a year, during that time I have gained
valuable skills by being involved in running
various student groups. I’m sure this will
benefit me in the role with GPFT.
HR Manager:  How would someone
who knows you well describe you?
Mariza:  I think it depends. If you asked
a colleague or line manager, they’d say I’m
committed, focused and serious. But my
friends look upon me as a bit of a joker!
HR Manager:  What do you think you’d
be doing if you hadn’t chosen this career?
Mariza:  That’s something I haven’t
considered before. I’ve always been
fascinated by the environment and wildlife,
so perhaps I’d have trained as a vet.
HR Manager:  What do you hope you’ll
be doing in ten years’ time?
Mariza:  Let me think about that for a
second. Well, I’d like to be making a
difference, to be building a better future in
some way. And I very much hope that can
be with GPFT.
Track 29, page 62
Narrator:  Now turn to part 2
You will hear a student called Matt Brady
giving a presentation on the subject of
wildlife repopulation. For questions 1–8,
complete the sentences with a word or
short phrase.
You now have 45 seconds to look at
part 2.
Matt Brady:  Hi. I’m Matt Brady and I’ve
been doing some research recently into
rewilding. Now, I’ve found a number of
different definitions of rewilding but,
essentially, it’s a way of carrying out
conservation that involves returning areas
to their natural state – without any
buildings, cultivation or anything. It often
includes bringing back the wild animals
that used to live in an area before they
were either killed off or forced out because
the habitat became unsuitable.
The term rewilding has been in use in print
for the last 30 years, although interestingly
it still seems to be absent from dictionaries.
But with its raised profile in the media, I
imagine this will change before long.
In many cases, rewilding happens in the
kind of locations not usually associated
with a good ecological balance. One
recent example is the area of Knepp in
England, where land around an old castle
has been left for nature to take over again.
I think that, given Knepp’s proximity to a
major airport, this is an impressive
achievement and really shows what can be
done.
On the Knepp estate, many species are
now extremely common. Deer are one
example, and the barbastelle, a species of
bat described as Europe’s rarest mammal,
has been seen flying overhead. The estate
also now boasts more of the purple
emperor – a kind of butterfly – than
anywhere else in the country.
And while the approach at Knepp was to
repopulate with diverse wildlife, other
projects have targeted one specific species.
Examples include successful attempts to
bring back one of Wales’s most loved birds
of prey, the red kite. A working farm in
Raeder was set up as a feeding station for
kites, and now thrives as a tourist
attraction.
Rewilding can sometimes teach us new
things. After successful reintroduction in
Poland in the 1950s, the Dutch have
reintroduced bison. What nobody was
expecting was to find that these animals
have all but abandoned the forests that
have been their traditional stomping
ground, and are now making their homes
among the sand dunes of the Dutch
coastline.
It’s probably fair to say these projects are
popular, on the whole. They are set up, I
think, for idealistic reasons. But some can
prove controversial, such as the
reintroduction of the grey wolf population
to Yellowstone National Park in the US in
the 1990s. This was based on experts
anticipating the number of elk and other
animals that would be killed on average
by each wolf, but this figure turned out to
be conservative, to say the least.
There seems to be growing public support
for these rewilding programmes now, with
funding being made available to support
them. And many of these initiatives, once
set up, manage to carry on in the absence
of any human involvement whatsoever.
And when that happens, then I think it
shows the project achieved what it set out
to do.
Narrator:  Now you’ll hear part 2
again.
Repeat presentation
Narrator:  That’s the end of part 2.
Track 030, page 64
Scientist:  Here are five things we
wouldn’t have without space travel.
One:  camera phones. From the 1960s,
NASA researchers worked to create the
digital devices that were small and
portable enough to enable astronauts to
take high resolution images while in space.
Today, one third of all camera phones
contain the same technology.
Two:  espresso machines. In order for
astronauts to remain alert throughout their
missions, the European Space Agency
came up with a way of using pressurised
steam to make a more potent cup of
coffee. So next time you order an
espresso, remember that it is the drink of
astronauts.
Three:  smoke and carbon monoxide
detectors. Now a common feature in
homes and workplaces all over the world,
these were first devised for the Skylab
programme in the 1970s, to ensure that
astronauts would become aware of any
potentially lethal leaks of gas on the space
station.
Four:  freeze-dried food. One solution to
the challenge of feeding astronauts in
space was the development of freeze-dried
food. Nowadays, fruit, ice cream and
many other products can also be made to
last longer in the same way.
Five:  foil blankets. These metallic sheets,
used on Earth in extreme temperatures,
were developed as a way of protecting
both spacecraft and people in space.
Track 31, page 65
Woman:  I’ve always been fascinated by
Elon Musk, the guy who set up PayPal.
He’s managed to run several other
successful companies in highly competitive
areas and make a success of them. A
shining example of this is Tesla, the
manufacturer of electric cars. But for me
Musk’s crowning achievement has got to
be the company he founded in 2002:
SpaceX, the space exploration company.
Musk is motivated by worthy goals – he
wants a sustainable future, and believes
that the use of space and its resources is
key to making that a reality. His ultimate
aim is to make space travel no less than
90 percent cheaper. It wouldn’t be an
overstatement to describe Elon Musk as a
visionary and a genius. He’s shown on
several occasions that he’s got what it takes
to achieve the impossible. For example,
he’s managed to reduce the cost of rocket
AUDIOSCRIPTS 9
launches by developing a rapidly reusable
launch system. He also managed to defy
the odds by achieving the first sea landing
of a rocket, on a barge which he
charismatically named ‘Of course I still
love you’. In 2018, he managed to pull off
a stunt that left the whole world
dumbfounded. He did nothing less than
launch a car into orbit from one of his
rockets. To cap it all, it was of course
Musk’s own Tesla Roadster, driven by an
astronaut wearing a spacesuit and named
‘Starman’.
UNIT 5
Track 032, page 66
Jacintha:  What do you think makes
something go viral on the internet? Can
you deliberately design content which has
a high chance of going viral?
Mario:  Well, apparently, there is a
science to it – virality. Supposedly the key
to it is triggering an emotional connection,
such as nostalgia or awe.
Jacintha:  Possibly, but then different
people have different emotional responses
to things. No, I think the relevance of the
post matters more. Whenever a current
major event is in the news, it immediately
generates hundreds of responses – videos,
pictures, comments, memes and so on.
Mario:  Yes, but it’s the news story that
goes viral, and usually the kinds of posts
you are talking about tend to vanish into
thin air after a few days. To my mind, to
go viral a post has to have something
unique and unexpected about it. The
problem is pinning down how to achieve
this.
Jacintha:  It’s probably more of an art
than a science, meaning you can’t always
put your finger on exactly what features of
a post cause it to go viral. I mean,
sometimes it is obvious, but at other times
you think, ‘Why on earth did that go
viral?’
Track 033, page 66
Zara:  Yesterday I read an article about
AI – you know, artificial intelligence. It
blows my mind seeing just how many
different areas of life it can be applied to.
For example, medicine. Apparently, thanks
to a model called deep learning, machines
can now detect certain eye conditions as
successfully as humans.
Jake:  Are you sure it’s true? I’m slightly
sceptical to be honest. The other day, I was
using one of these online diagnostic chats
to try and find out what was wrong with
my cat. It was absolutely useless. It didn’t
give any meaningful responses to the
symptoms I was typing in. I actually think
it’s quite irresponsible to present a machine
as an ‘expert’, particularly a vet or even
worse, a doctor.
10
Zara:  Well, it’s definitely true that you
need to be cautious with these things as
their ultimate aim is to make money, but
the high-grade applications that they use
in hospitals are obviously a lot more
reliable than those used by random
websites.
Jake:  I read recently that you can get
artificial ‘lawyers’ too. They charge a lot
less than real ones!
Zara:  But if their advice is wrong, it will
cost you a lot more in the long run.
Track 034, page 66
Jim:  I haven’t been able to finish the
project because my internet went down
two days ago. After we had the fibre optic
connection put in, the connection had
really sped up but for some reason, it’s
now slowed down again. I’ve been on the
phone to them three times, but you know
what they said ...
Rosie:  Let me guess – switch it off and on
again! That’s what they usually suggest.
Jim:  Exactly. Not rocket science, right?
Anyway, have you got your project done?
Rosie:  No, I’ve got technical problems
too. I really need to log on to the VLE to
download the topics and guidelines but
I’ve mysteriously been locked out. When
they prompt me to sign in, I can’t enter my
username or password. I’m also a bit
worried about some of my files being
corrupted. I haven’t bothered to back them
up in ages.
Jim:  I know what you mean. I always
forget to do that and occasionally I pay
the price when I find an important file
won’t open just when I need it. And
another thing – there’s a problem with the
ink in my printer, so even if I manage to do
the research on my phone and write the
paper, I often can’t print it out. It’s driving
me crazy.
Track 035, page 70
Richard:  OK, so we’re here to evaluate
the state of the computers in the college
and see what we can do to improve the
situation in some way. So can you give me
a summary of where we are now?
Elizabeth:  Yes, the main issue is the
budget has not allowed for any new
hardware in over two years. That’s a long
time when you’re talking about computers.
The number of complaints from students
has increased over the year. They can’t
always get access to a computer when
they want it. The printers break down more
than they used to because they are so old.
We really need to make it easier for them
to get their work done.
Richard:  OK, so it’s clear we need to get
some newer computers and far more of
them now that the number of students is
higher than ever. I think we should also get
a few of the newer printers that allow you
to scan and copy as well as at least one
heavy-duty printer.
Elizabeth:  Yes, that sounds good. We
have had problems with some of the
software packages as well. Basically, we
need to get the latest versions, particularly
if we are getting more modern computers,
as they’ll be incompatible. And one other
issue is the virus protection packages need
to be updated regularly. Quite a few
students have complained of damage to
their files due to infection from viruses sent
through emails.
Richard:  Right. So we definitely need to
add far more money to the budget for next
year. But what about policies? Is there
anything we can do to make things better
through our conditions of use?
Elizabeth:  Well, now you come to
mention it, yes there is. For example, we
allow students to stay in the computer
room as long as they want. Perhaps we
should change that and introduce a time
limit, say, of two hours per session? That
way they won’t be tempted to waste time
and it will be a more efficient use of the
facilities. What do you think?
Richard:  I agree. At the moment, some
students distract others by talking, so I think
as well as limiting the time they can spend,
we should change the rules and make it a
quiet zone. I think overall, these changes
will make things better for them.
Track 036, page 71
Dialogue 1
Speaker A:  Pauline always uses the
class computer for too long – it’s not fair.
I’m going to tell her exactly what I think of
her!
Speaker B:  You wouldn’t dare!
Dialogue 2
Speaker A:  Why did you share that
meme about a local politician? It’s obvious
you’d get in trouble with Mum and Dad.
Speaker B:  My friends dared me to do
it.
Dialogue 3
Speaker A:  So how are we going to
balance the budget with all these new
hardware investments?
Speaker B:  Well, dare I say it? We’re
going to have to let staff go.
Dialogue 4
Speaker A:  How are we going to finish
this blog post by the end of the day?
Speaker B:  I dare say we’ll manage.
Dialogue 5
Speaker A:  I daren’t tell Sue that I’ve
dropped her laptop. She’ll go mad!
Speaker B:  Well, you’re going to
have to.
Dialogue 6
Speaker A:  If you hadn’t been so lazy,
you’d have got your work finished.
Speaker B:  How dare you speak to me
like that!
Dialogue 7
Speaker A:  I’m just borrowing your
credit card to order a pizza online.
Speaker B:  Don’t you dare!
Track 037, page 72
Lily:  OK, which one shall we start with?
Pablo:  The first one that jumps out at me
is SatNav – Satellite Navigation – I mean,
personally, I’d be lost without it – quite
literally! I remember the old days of having
to plan your route in advance on a scrap
of paper. You had to keep pulling over to
check where the next turnoff was. I
wouldn’t want to go back to that.
Lily:  You’re really showing your age! But,
seriously, I agree with you but only up to a
point. Sometimes SatNavs are more
trouble than they’re worth. One day I
almost ended up in a river because of one!
Pablo:  Yeah, that kind of thing has
happened to me, but I still wouldn’t be
without mine. So, what about targeted
advertising? That’s an absolute pain in the
neck. It’s just a sophisticated form of spam.
I mean, say I’ve just bought a toaster. For
the next however long, all the pop ups I
see are about toasters. How many toasters
do they think a person needs?
Lily:  I can see what you’re saying, but
you’re looking at it from a customer’s point
of view. If you are trying to sell, it’s an
amazing advantage to be able to find out
who is in the market for your products. You
might see their advert and return the
toaster you’d bought and buy theirs
instead.
Pablo:  There’s some truth in that, I
suppose. I hadn’t thought of it like that.
OK, so the one that I’m most impressed by,
in a way, is smart home devices, you
know, like Alexa or other devices that
allow you to control things in your house.
You simply speak to the device and it does
what you ask. Amazing, really. I love
having mine.
Lily:  That’s not always the case, though.
We bought my Granddad one of those
devices to help him around the house. The
problem was that it kept misunderstanding
what he was saying and he found it very
frustrating. Don’t get me wrong, I think
these devices are very impressive, but I
think they still need improving.
Pablo:  OK, what about the TV
recommendations. I really like it when an
app recommends something to watch
based on what I’ve watched before. Like,
in my case, I’m hooked on detective
programmes and every time a new one
comes out, I’m the first to know. Don’t you
think that’s brilliant?
Lily:  Not necessarily. Sometimes they get
it wrong. I rarely enjoy the shows they
recommend, but I’ll admit it’s quite clever.
So, the last one is about grading exams
and tests. What do you think of that one?
Examiner:  Thank you. Now you have
about a minute to decide which of these
things can benefit people the most.
Pablo:  OK, so we didn’t have time to talk
about exam marking but I don’t think this is
the most beneficial to people. It’s useful for,
say, teachers but does not benefit
everyone. And anyway, I’d prefer to have
a human being mark my writing paper.
Lily:  Yes, and I would also rule out
targeted advertising and TV
recommendations. I mean, they are nice
things to have, but I think most people
could live without them quite easily.
Pablo:  OK, I agree with that. So that
leaves us satellite navigation and smart
home devices. I would go for the latter.
Having one at home has changed my life.
Lily:  That’s a fair point, but I don’t think
you can say that they benefit everyone. On
the other hand, everyone does have a
SatNav in their car these days, so I would
go for that option.
Pablo:  That’s true, but I would still have
to go for smart devices. They do so much
more than just tell you how to get
somewhere.
Lily:  OK, I guess we will have to agree to
disagree here.
Examiner:  Thank you.
Track 038, page 72
Question 1
Lily:  I can’t really imagine, to be quite
honest with you. I suppose we would have
been healthier and more active but, on the
other hand, we would have been much
less informed, especially about what’s
going on in other parts of the world.
Pablo:  You make a good point but I’m
not completely convinced. I think what we
have gained is a lot of fake news, junk
mail, online bullying and so on. Before the
internet, we knew what we needed to
know – genuine news from reliable news
agencies. One thing I agree about, though,
is that we wouldn’t have spent so much
time sitting around scrolling through social
media feeds.
Question 2
Pablo:  To my mind, this really depends
on which part of the world you’re talking
about. In the developed world, where
parents pay a lot of money in taxes, I think
it’s fair to say the State should take
responsibility for this. Increasingly, the
internet is a vital tool in education and not
having access would undeniably
disadvantage students.
Lily:  Well, I think that’s true in part. The
thing I’m not so sure about is that over-
reliance on the internet often leads to
disinterest in reading, and some teachers
use it to avoid actually teaching the
students themselves. There are so many
other priorities when it comes to spending
our tax dollars.
Question 3
Lily:  I certainly don’t think it is crucial at
all. In fact, it makes life too easy for them
in a way. Nowadays, everything is handed
to children on a plate. They can hardly
cope when the internet goes down for a
few minutes. What is vital for students, in
my view, is a library membership.
Pablo:  I think that’s true in part. Primary
school children can manage very well
without their own computer. By the time
they are about 15 or 16, they could
probably do with having one of their own
and by the time they go to university, it is a
must.
Question 4
Pablo:  Well, what I hope will happen is
that the internet will become faster and not
go down so often. It would be good to see
computers that don’t become obsolete so
quickly as well.
Lily:  I’d also like to see all of that but it’s
not very realistic because manufacturers
want to sell more computers, so it is in their
interests that people need to upgrade
regularly. Personally, I hope there will be a
better interface between operating systems
in the not too distant future.
Track 039, page 74
Extract 1
Narrator:  Now turn to part 1.
You will hear three different extracts. For
questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B or
C) which fits best according to what you
hear. There are two questions for each
extract. You’ll hear each extract twice.
Extract one. You hear two friends talking
about Bitcoin, a type of digital currency.
Now look at questions one and two.
Male:  I’ve been wondering whether I
should buy some Bitcoin.
Female:  Mmm, well, at one point the
price of Bitcoin fell over 80% within just a
few months. So, I suppose it depends
whether you could stand to lose that
money. If you can, go ahead. You might
just make a profit.
Male:  Well, what I’ve read is that if you
educate yourself and follow a few simple
rules, you can reduce your risk. For
example, there are different exchanges
you can buy from and you need to make
sure you buy from one with a proven
reputation. Then, it’s advisable not to leave
your Bitcoins on the exchange, but move
them into your own personal online wallet.
Female:  Well, I don’t doubt that’s true
AUDIOSCRIPTS 11
but however many safeguards you put in
place, you can still get drawn into some
very sophisticated scams. For instance, a
friend of mine, a real tech wiz, was
persuaded by an online friend to join a
scheme which promised to double his
Bitcoin. Sure enough, for the first month or
so, he was getting what he had been
promised. But suddenly the website just
vanished – along with his money. And that
guy supposedly knew what he was doing.
Repeat Extract 1
Narrator:  Extract two. You hear two
friends talking about online crime. Now
look at questions three and four.
Female:  Would you say the internet has
made it easier to commit crimes like fraud?
Male:  Absolutely! The internet definitely
facilitates crime and also diversifies
criminal activity. In the past, there was a
limit to what fraudsters could accomplish,
but now the number of ways to trick
people out of their money is almost
limitless.
Female:  But don’t you think people in
general need to wise-up? If they weren’t so
greedy, they wouldn’t fall for these scams. I
mean, say someone sends you an email, a
letter or whatever saying you’ve won a
prize in a competition that, by the way,
you didn’t enter, but you need to send
money to claim your prize … surely you’d
be suspicious …
Male:  Well, you do have a point there,
but some people are very trusting. For
instance, imagine a woman in her 80s. All
her life she has taken people at face value.
A poor old lady like that is a gift to these
tricksters. It’s vulnerable people like that
that need to be protected.
Female:  Yes, well, I can’t argue with that.
I’d support the harshest penalties being
given to people who exploit the
weaknesses of others like that.
Repeat Extract 2
Narrator:  Extract three. You hear two
friends discussing the use of robots. Now
look at questions five and six.
Male:  So, do you think using robots in
the workplace enhances the work
environment?
Female:  Well, they certainly have the
edge over humans in some areas. Think
about going into a radioactive zone after
a leak in a nuclear reactor, for example.
And there are some jobs, like cleaning the
sewers, that are intolerable for humans but
robots don’t feel disgust and can’t smell, so
they are not bothered.
Male:  Yes, you’ve got a point there, but
what I’ve heard is that the jobs for humans
that operate alongside robots have
become less challenging and actually
rather tedious. I’ll give you an example.
12
I read about a man who used to deliver
materials within a huge factory. He really
enjoyed his job as he moved around and
got to know everyone in different
departments. Then a robot took his job. He
was stuck in one place, doing one boring
part of the process the robot couldn’t
handle. His job satisfaction plummeted.
Female:  That’s a fair point and it is
unfortunate, but I’m also sure it boosted
productivity. It’s like in farming. A lot of the
poetry and interaction has gone but
overall more is produced. So, what’s more
important?
Repeat Extract 3
Narrator:  That’s the end of part 1.
Track 040, page 77
Conversation 1
Customer:  Hi. I’m having problems with
resetting my password. Could you help me
please?
Tech Support:  Sure. What exactly
seems to be the problem?
Customer:  Well, first of all, when I try to
enter my old password, the system says it’s
not recognised. I’ve checked it three times
and I keep getting the same message.
Tech Support:  OK. Is Caps Lock on?
Don’t forget that passwords are case-
sensitive.
Customer:  Oh, that hadn’t occurred to
me. Hold on … Yes, you were right. I feel
so foolish.
Tech Support:  Not to worry. You’re not
the first person to make that mistake and
I’m sure you won’t be the last. Would you
like me to stay on the line while you
change your password?
Customer:  Well, if you wouldn’t mind.
OK, new password … Oh, now that’s not
working.
Tech Support:  Just to check, you also
need to include a symbol in there
somewhere, you know like a question mark
or something.
Customer:  Oh, I see. So if I add in, say,
an asterisk at the end, that should work.
Let me give that a go … [sound of typing]
… yes, that’s it. Brilliant. Thanks a lot.
Tech Support:  Don’t mention it.
Conversation 2
Customer:  Hi. I think my computer’s
been infected by a virus. It’s got really slow
and it’s difficult to download stuff.
Tech Support:  OK, let me check a few
things with you. Have you recently installed
any new software on your computer or
have you opened any email attachments
from people you don’t know?
Customer:  No. I am very careful to
make sure anything I install is from a
reputable source and I know the risks in
opening unknown attachments with
regards to malware and so on.
Tech Support:  OK, good. Let’s take a
different approach then. Have you tried
closing down any other computer
programmes that you have running in the
background?
Customer:  No, how do I do that?
Tech Support:  Click on Control, Alt and
Delete all at the same time to access Task
Manager. There are some tabs along the
top. First click on Apps and close any
you’re not using. Then do the same with
Processes.
Customer:  OK, anything else?
Tech Support:  Yes, it’s best if you
restart your computer before trying to use
it again. That should do the trick. If not,
call me back on the same extension
number you used. I may need to remotely
access your computer.
Conversation 3
Customer:  Hello. I’m calling because I’m
having trouble with your online payment
portal. It was working OK on my PC but
now I want to use it on my phone. I’ve
downloaded the app but I can’t seem to
make a payment.
Tech Support:  OK. Go to Settings and
select Apps. Can you see our App there?
Customer:  OK, bear with me a moment
… Yes, I’ve got it. What now?
Tech Support:  OK. We’re going to
delete it and reinstall it. So, what are the
options you can see for the app?
Customer:  There are only two: Uninstall
or Force Stop.
Tech Support:  Right. Click on uninstall.
Now go to the App store and search for
our App. Click download.
Customer:  OK, I’m doing that now. OK,
done.
Tech Support:  Good. Now open the
App and go to the drop-down menu. Click
on ‘add user information’. You need to
enter your name, address and card details
and set up a password. After you’ve done
that, restart your phone and you should be
able to make your payments. Give us
another call if you have any further
problems.
UNIT 6
Track 041, page 81
Speaker 1:  I guess there’s this
stereotype that we all live in skyscrapers,
apartment blocks or Hollywood mansions
because of the influence of TV and movies,
you know, and how they portray life here.
For a start, mansions are confined to the
super rich, so they don’t really reflect the
reality of the majority of people. Sure there
are plenty of skyscrapers and apartment
blocks in the centres of large cities where
land is more expensive but less so out in
the suburbs. A lot of folks live in a
bungalow, often in a subdivision, which is
usually, like, maybe a couple of hundred
homes all together, built in the same style.
And a lot live in duplexes; these are houses
where the upstairs is one home and the
downstairs is another. Or you can get a
condo. A condo, which by the way is short
for condominium, is usually a kind of
apartment within a building or area,
managed by a homeowners association.
They usually have shared facilities for the
homeowners to use, like swimming pools,
gardens, play areas and so on.
Speaker 2:  Well, in my country, there
aren’t really many blocks of flats, except in
cities. I’d say that most people live in
houses. That said, a lot of larger houses
have been converted into separate flats so
that they can be rented, sometimes as
studio flats, you know, small flats that
combine the living room, kitchen, and
sometimes even the bedroom into a single
space. But most people live in their own
houses, usually either terraced or semi-
detached. There are also a lot of
bungalows, often for older people because
they have problems climbing stairs. Head
out into the countryside and you’ll find
more cottages as these were often the
homes built for agricultural workers in the
past. Some of the more traditional ones
even have thatched roofs, you know, made
of straw or something similar. Personally,
I’m not sure I’d want to live in a cottage
though. They tend to have lower ceilings
which, for a tall bloke like myself, means
I’m constantly banging my head on door
frames. Oh, and also it’s in the countryside
that you tend to find stately homes. These
are essentially enormous mansions built by
the aristocracy in days gone by, typically
with huge areas of land called estates or
grounds. Some are still lived in but many
of them have become tourist attractions.
Track 042, page 82
Examiner:  Do you enjoy living in your
current home?
Candidate 1:  Absolutely, because my
friends and I share a flat, so it’s a very
sociable environment. I love the fact that I
am independent and don’t have my
parents telling me what to do or how to
organize my home as …
Candidate 2:  Well, actually it depends
what you mean by home because I live in
student accommodation during term-time,
and with my parents during the holidays,
and ...
Candidate 3:  Yes and no – you see,
one thing I love about it is being with my
family because we’re very close, but on the
other hand, our house is rather cramped! It
would be nice if there was more space …
Track 043, page 82
Examiner:  What’s the most interesting
tourist attraction where you live?
Candidate 1:  I guess it depends on
what you mean by tourist attraction. I
imagine that many people would say the
Museum of Archaeology because it has a
fascinating collection of exhibits and
attracts tourists from all over the world.
However, for me personally, it has to be
the waterpark. It’s one of the biggest in my
country and is a great way to spend a day
out.
Candidate 2:  Definitely the district of
Coyoacán. It’s one of the oldest parts of
my city and has some amazing
architecture. It’s a lovely place to explore.
And for fans of history, you can visit the
houses of Frida Kahlo and Leon Trotsky,
both of which are museums. I particularly
love the Frida Kahlo house with its bright
colours and art collection.
Candidate 3:  To be honest, off the top
of my head, I can’t think of one. My
hometown is not really a tourist town and
it doesn’t really attract visitors. There is no
tourist industry as such. However, lots of
tourists visit the region I am from because
it has some amazing archaeological sites,
so I suppose I would have to go for that.
Track 044, page 82
Will:  OK, so welcome to my podcast.
Today we’re looking at some of the most
peculiar buildings on the planet. I’ve been
asking you to nominate your own
particular favourite building, whether it’s a
mansion or a stable – I don’t care, as long
as it’s distinctive. So, I’ve got a few people
on the line right now and they’re gonna tell
us about their own favourite for up to 30
seconds. Then I’m going to open it up to a
vote. OK, so first up is Karolina from
Poland.
Karolina:  Hi, hi everyone.
Will:  Hi Karolina, thanks for joining us,
and you’ve got 30 seconds to tell us about
your favourite building.
Karolina:  OK, so the building I want to
nominate is in Sopot in Poland. It’s called
Krzywy Domek in Polish: that can be
translated as Crooked House in English. It
was designed by two Polish architects, and
they were inspired by illustrations in a
story-book produced for kids. The building
looks as though it’s been squeezed
between a giant’s fingers, with the way it
sort of twists and turns. It’s really eye-
catching. Being right in the centre of town,
it’s easily the most-photographed building
in Sopot. I mean it’s impossible to walk
past and not to! And it certainly gets
people talking. So if you’re in Poland, you
really should make a point of going to
Sopot and seeing this local landmark for
yourself!
Will:  OK, thank you Karolina, well, we
certainly get the picture, and I can see why
this building appeals so much to you. That
was Karolina, with the Crooked House in
Sopot in Poland. OK, next we have
Hossam.
Hossam:  Hello Will.
Will:  Welcome Hossam, where are you
calling in from?
Hossam:  From Egypt. From Alexandria
to be precise. And I want to tell you about
a building here that I think is outstanding.
It’s our national library – the Bibliotheca
Alexandrina. It was actually designed by
Norwegian architects, with the winning
design being selected from something like
1,400 entries. Building work got under
way in 1995, and it was completed just in
time for it to be inaugurated in 2002. It’s a
huge building, and up to eight million
books can be stored there, although not all
this space is being used, as far as I know.
It’s a really elegant building, and it’s often
compared to an eye in appearance.
Will:  Great, thank you Hossam, and it
certainly sounds like an intriguing building.
Let’s go to our next caller.
Ivan:  Hello Will, this is Ivan calling from
Russia.
Will:  Great to have you with us, Ivan.
So which building would you like to put
forward?
Ivan:  Well, this is rather a different sort
of building to the others that have been
nominated.
Will:  I’m intrigued Ivan, tell us more.
Ivan:  Well, I want to talk about the
Sutyagin House in Arkhangelsk in Russia.
It was intended to be the tallest wooden
house in the world. It’s 50 metres and 13
storeys tall, but it was constructed without
a building permit being issued, you see.
The owner was a builder so did all the
renovation work himself. But unfortunately
he was sent to prison for extortion before it
could be completed. Then, because under
local planning laws timber buildings were
only permitted up to two storeys, the
building was declared a fire hazard, and
the local authorities had the main tower
demolished. That was in 2008. And a few
years later the rest of the building burned
down. So that was that!
Will:  How fascinating! And Mr Sutyagin
certainly sounds like a character!
Track 045, page 84
Boss:  OK lads, listen up please. Big new
job starting today. Before we get in the
van and get going, I just want to fill you in
on a few details. OK?
Builders:  Alright.
Boss:  So, we’re going to be making a
start on an attic conversion today.
Builder 1:  Oh right, another one?
AUDIOSCRIPTS 13
Boss:  Yeah, what, do you have
something against attic conversions?
Builder 1:  No, they’re cool. Fine by me!
Boss:  That’s good, well, we made a
name for ourselves doing them, so that’s
what we’ve got a five-star rating for on
Google.
Builder 2:  So, who’s the client?
Boss:  Well, they’re a lovely young
couple, Mr and Mrs Khan. And guess
what – Mrs Khan is expecting.
Builder 1:  Expecting?
Boss:  Expecting a baby, in seven weeks.
And they aren’t going to want us lot
crashing about when the baby’s home. So
I’ve given my word that we will do our
utmost to get the job done quickly.
Builder 2:  Well, we’ll need about ten
weeks for an attic conversion.
Boss:  Well, the baby’s not going to wait
that long. We’ve got seven weeks. Do you
get the picture?
Builder 1:  OK.
Boss:  So, I’ve made a list of jobs to get
done on the first day, which I’ll be giving
out shortly. We’re working to a tight
schedule on this one lads. And we have no
option but to meet that deadline. OK? Any
questions? Good! You know the drill. Let’s
make a start.
Track 046, page 86
News reader:  So much for the idea of
‘Finders keepers’! 500,000 dollars, which
was found stashed behind the walls of a
house, has been returned to the heirs of
the dead man who hid the cash at least 11
years ago. Carrie Mathis has the details.
Reporter:  When $500,000 in cash was
found behind the walls of a house during
building works, a dispute quickly broke out
as to who was the rightful owner. The firm
of contractors who found the money
argued that they had the right to it, while
the new homeowner claimed it was
rightfully theirs. But in a court case, neither
party got to keep the windfall. In a surprise
ruling, an Arizona court declared that the
money should be returned to the heirs of
Robert Spann, the man who had
concealed the money in his home before
he died.
When Mr Spann died, his two daughters
knew that he had hidden cash and
valuables throughout the house, and the
sisters spent much of the next seven years
searching. When they eventually sold the
home, the new owner, Clinton McCallum,
hired a contractor to remodel his new
home. A construction worker soon found
two metal boxes stuffed with bank notes
hidden in a kitchen wall. Looking for more,
he discovered two further boxes inside a
bathroom wall and informed the building
company’s owner.
14
The company owner tried to keep the cash
but the worker told the homeowners about
his discovery. Police then seized the
money. After the dispute as to who should
keep the cash went to court, Robert
Spann’s daughter, Karen, filed her own
action claiming the new homeowners had
no legal stake to the money. At a trial, the
judge agreed the money belonged to the
estate of Robert Spann, arguing that
legally, the money was only mislaid, not
abandoned, and should therefore be paid
to Mr Spann’s heirs.
Track 047, page 91
Landlord:  Hello?
Janine:  Oh, Mr Jenkins, hello. It’s Janine
– you showed me the studio flat to rent
earlier this week.
Landlord:  Oh yes, of course. Hello
Janine. The one on Oaklands Road at
£800 a month. You said you wanted to go
away and think it over. So …?
Janine:  Yes, well, first of all, thank you
again for showing me the flat.
Landlord:  No problem at all. So, do you
want to take it?
Janine:  Well, there’s certainly a lot I
liked about it. The sitting room’s quite
spacious, and it’s obvious that you’ve kept
the flat in good condition.
Landlord:  Yes, it needed redecorating
after the last tenants.
Janine:  And it has an off-road parking
space, so it really ticks all the right boxes.
But I wanted to get a feel for what flats like
that usually cost round here, so I checked it
out online. And there was another one, of
a similar size on the same road, and the
asking price is £700, which is quite a bit
cheaper … Mr Jenkins?
Landlord:  Yes, I’m still here.
Janine:  Now, I’m really interested in
your place, but the thing is, I’m not going
to be able to pay above the going rate.
So, I was wondering, do we have some
room for negotiation?
Landlord:  Well, I suppose I could come
down to £790 for you.
Janine:  Well, thank you, that’s definitely
a step in the right direction. But I still think
you are asking me to pay over the odds.
You see, my budget’s really more like
£700, which I think would be enough to
get something of a decent standard in the
same area. So what I wanted to suggest is
that if you could accept that, then I could
pay two months in advance, rather than
just the one. Would that be acceptable?
Landlord:  Look, I’ll tell you what. Why
don’t we meet halfway? Let’s call it £750.
Janine:  Well, OK, I guess I could stretch
to that.
Landlord:  Great! It looks like we have a
deal. I’ll email you a copy of the tenancy
agreement and you can …
UNIT 7
Track 048, page 95
What does it mean to be intelligent?
We have all heard of different types of
intelligence, such as interpersonal, musical,
linguistic or emotional intelligence. We
know that people possess these to a
greater or lesser extent and that various
types of animals are intelligent in their own
ways. However, most of us probably make
the assumption that to be intelligent and,
specifically, to learn, one needs to be in
possession of a brain. If not an actual
brain, then surely at least a collection of
neurons must be a minimum requirement
for learning. Snails, jellyfish and starfish,
for example, do not have brains as we
usually understand the concept;
nevertheless, they do possess neurons,
albeit spread out rather than clustered in
one place.
The majority of lifeforms on earth do not
have neurons; yet, they have the ability to
behave in complex ways. Scientists have
always known this but used to think this
was due to innate responses that had
developed over many generations. Now,
however, they are beginning to define the
behaviour of non-neural organisms as a
form of learning. Plant neurobiology, a
controversial new field of science, studies
the ways in which plants process
information and learn from it. Biologist
Monica Gagliano of the University of
Western Australia found that pea plants
can be conditioned to learn. In her
research, she discovered the plants were
able to differentiate between two different
stimuli:  a whirring fan and a blue light. A
plant called Cornish Mallow swivels its
leaves around during the night so that in
the morning they are facing the sun. This
means that the plant has to anticipate the
future, an attribute we would label
‘intelligent’ and not associate with plants.
Similarly, young shoots of corn are able to
‘remember’ from which direction sources
of light come.
We all know that learning occurs at
different levels, and what we are discussing
here is ‘habituated’ learning, or
behaviourism. Nevertheless, it is impressive
for lifeforms that don’t possess neurons,
much less a brain. One of the most
interesting cases in point is slime moulds,
which have demonstrated abilities most of
us would never have associated with them.
Audrey Dussutour of the University of
Toulouse created a maze with tasty food
such as oats, but blocked the slime’s access
to it with bitter substances like caffeine. At
first, the slime hesitated for several hours
before making its way across the deterrent
to reach the reward. Gradually, the slime
moulds learnt to ignore the caffeine and
go straight across, understanding there
would be something tasty on the
other side. Chris Reid of Macquarie
University in Australia is a Behavioural
Ecologist who has also worked with slime
moulds and found them capable of
complex decision-making. Like humans
and other animals, they are able to
explore the benefits and drawbacks of
different options and re-evaluate their
choices as variables change. Researchers
have also realised that unicellular
organisms can fuse together in order to
learn more about their environment.
This research has implications for our
understanding of learning, as we now
know that neurons are not an essential
requirement for it. The organisms’
experiences modified their genes and led
to specific genes being switched on and
off. This doesn’t rewrite genetic code;
rather, it temporarily changes how it is
read. According to David Glanzman of the
University of California, this process,
known as epigenetic regulation, is proof
that memory is present and learning is
taking place. These scientific discoveries
could potentially lead to new ways of
fighting diseases and designing intelligent
machines. So, the next time you hear
someone or something described as
‘brainless’, it might not be as big an insult
as you think.
Track 049, page 95
Scientists have always known this but used
to think this was due to innate responses
that had developed over many
generations. Now, however, they are
beginning to define the behaviour of non-
neural organisms as a form of learning.
Track 050, page 96
Scientists have always known this.
Biologist Monica Gagliano of the
University of Western Australia.
Chris Reid of Macquarie University in
Australia is a Behavioural Ecologist.
Track 051, page 97
OK, so I’m going to talk about the first and
third pictures: the female student learning
alone and the classroom. On the whole,
the photos show people engaged in
learning. The girl looks totally absorbed in
her task. It looks as though she finds it
challenging but she has the time and space
to figure it out. In the classroom, the
feelings of the students vary. While most of
them are listening attentively, a few look
bored and one is asleep. Both of these
ways of learning could be effective,
depending on the age of the student and
the subject being taught. For technical
subjects like the one the student in the first
photo is doing, hands-on learning is best.
However, she would need access to a
teacher who could support her if she got
stuck. In schools, there is no choice but to
teach many students in the same way.
Obviously, this will be more effective for
some students than for others.
Track 052, page 97
Personally, I would choose the student
learning robotics by herself. In my
experience, when you teach yourself to do
something or even just put theory into
practice, it helps you retain knowledge.
Learning in a classroom can be quite
distracting as there are so many others.
Also, if you choose which subject to study,
as the girl probably has, you are more
motivated.
Track 053, page 103
Tutor:  Hello, Matteo. Come in and have
a seat. Now, the purpose of this tutorial is
to make sure you are confident about the
requirements for your dissertation and to
help clarify any doubts you may have. So,
do you have any questions?
Matteo:  Yes, quite a few, actually. First
of all, I’m fairly sure I want to write about
gothic architecture, but I’d like some advice
on how to narrow that down. I mean, it’s a
huge topic and I only have 15,000 words.
Tutor:  Yes, you’re right. There are several
ways to narrow the topic down. For
example, you could focus on one or two
specific features such as the vaults or the
use of stained glass, or even the early
attitudes towards gothic architecture. As
we discussed in class, people were very
negative about it at the beginning.
Matteo:  Yes, I found that aspect really
interesting, but it may be more sociological
and less technical. I would like the
opportunity to develop my knowledge of
the techniques.
Tutor:  I see, well, how about comparing
and contrasting two examples of Gothic
architecture from a technical perspective?
Say, for example, the Basilica of Saint
Denis and Sens Cathedral.
Matteo:  Mmm, yes, that sounds like a
great way of limiting the topic. You
mentioned that the word limit is 15,000
words. What happens if I exceed the word
limit?
Tutor:  Well, you can exceed it a bit:
normally we will accept ten percent above
the limit, so in this case, you could go up to
16,500. After that, the words wouldn’t
count, which normally means the
conclusion is discounted. Obviously, you’d
lose marks because of that.
Matteo:  I see. I’m still a bit worried
about using sources correctly. Can you tell
me where I can find information about
referencing and avoiding plagiarism?
Tutor:  Yes, that is crucial. On the
university’s website, under ‘resources for
students’, you’ll find the complete guide to
referencing. You should use our university’s
guide rather than anyone else’s because
each university has their own slightly
different way of referencing. We use the
latest version of the APA, which is Harvard
University’s system. I suggest you have the
guide open on your computer to refer to
while you’re working.
Matteo:  Yes, that’s a good idea. Can I
just ask about footnotes? I always get
confused about them because some
systems use them and some don’t.
Tutor:  I often get that question. Footnotes
are to prevent extra information
interrupting the flow of your text. They can
be used in our referencing system. It is all
clearly explained in the guide.
Matteo:  Thank you. So, I think I have a
clear idea now but is it possible to get
some feedback on the first draft of my
dissertation so that I can make some
improvements before submission?
Tutor:  Definitely. We do encourage
students to submit a first draft. However, it
does mean that you will you need to
submit it by the 23rd March so that we can
get it back to you by the end of March and
you have time to rewrite before the 7th
April deadline.
Matteo:  Oh, I see. And how do I submit
my first and final drafts?
Tutor:  For the first draft, just email it to
me. The final version of your dissertation
has to be uploaded through Turnitin. Do
you know how to do that?
Matteo:  Yes, I think so. Dr Roberts
explained it to us. And I just have one
more question. Are there any penalties for
late submission?
Tutor:  Yes, there are. It depends how
late. It’s all explained on the website. Go
to ‘resources for students’ and search for
‘late submissions’. But try to get it in on
time.
Matteo:  I will. Thank you for your time.
UNIT 8
Track 054, page 105
Examiner:  Now I’d like you to do
something together for about two minutes.
On this paper you have a list of things that
people watch on TV, and a question for
you to discuss. First you have some time to
look at the task … Now, talk to each other
about how people might benefit from
watching these types of programmes.
Wilhelm:  OK, well, Aneta, I don’t know
about you, but I certainly find watching
most of this stuff very pleasurable. But shall
we start with live sport? I’m quite sporty
myself and play a lot of football, so I
watch televised matches whenever I can.
How about you?
Aneta:  From time to time, yes, but I think
we need to focus on the question of what
benefits people can get from these
different kinds of programmes, rather than
which ones we like.
AUDIOSCRIPTS 15
Wilhelm:  Oh I see, yes, good point. I’d
say that as long as you’re watching
something you enjoy, you’re deriving a
benefit from it.
Aneta:  That’s fair enough, but to go into
a bit more detail … you mentioned that
you’re into watching live football. Would
you say that when you listen to the
commentators, and you watch these top
players and then you get the analysis after
the match … would you say that it helps
you as a player?
Wilhelm:  You mean, learning from it?
Aneta:  Exactly.
Wilhelm:  You know, I’d like to say yes.
You know, watching a replay in slow
motion of a goal by Messi … supposing I
said to myself ‘right, I’m going to go out
and learn to do that’, I’d just be kidding
myself!
Aneta:  Sure, but it gives you something
to aspire to!
Wilhelm:  Exactly.
Aneta:  Anyway, getting back to the task,
I’m not convinced that all of these
programmes are really contributing to your
wellbeing in any way. Take reality shows
– I mean the people taking part just do
these pointless things, supposedly for the
viewers’ entertainment.
Wilhelm:  I see what you mean but isn’t
the appeal of these shows getting to know
what the contestants are like as individuals,
and predicting how they’re going to react?
That’s why people love watching these
reality shows!
Aneta:  I think if I’d just watched one, I’d
be thinking ‘Well, that’s one hour of my life
that I’m not going to get back!’
Wilhelm:  OK. Let’s move on to dramas.
What benefits are there here?
Aneta:  Well, one great thing about
dramas is they can help you learn a
foreign language. I’m learning French, so I
find that watching a French series is great
practice.
Wilhelm:  Yes – and you can choose to
have the subtitles on or off, depending on
whether you need to read the dialogue, or
just listen.
Aneta:  Sure.
Wilhelm:  You know – I was in a drama
on TV in my country. I was an extra, just
one person in a crowd when the main
protagonist was riding past on his horse!
And you know what happened?
Aneta:  Oh, that’s amazing – you must
tell me about that another time. Shall we
look at the last one? Current affairs
programmes and documentaries … well, it
goes without saying that they help you
learn about the world.
Wilhelm:  Definitely, and on news
programmes, the reports from a
correspondent who’s actually out there on
the other side of the world … that always
16
helps you envisage what it must be like for
the people who are there, actually affected
by the events themselves.
Aneta:  Yes, and I think the same is true
in documentaries, as well as news
broadcasts, when you get film footage
that’s actually been shot by people who
were there.
Wilhelm:  Citizen journalism, you mean?
Aneta:  Yeah. I think that ...
Examiner:  Thank you. Now you have
about a minute to decide which of these
types of programme you think would be
most expensive for TV companies to
produce.
Wilhelm:  That’s a good question … I’d
say it’s probably live sport because
broadcasting rights are just so
phenomenally expensive these days.
Aneta:  Yes, I think that must be right. The
salaries of the world’s top sports players
are just enormous. And there’s great
demand to watch tennis grand slams,
football World Cups and so on.
Wilhelm:  Which is why they can charge
the TV companies so much for the rights
– live coverage of the big sporting events
attract enormous audiences worldwide.
Aneta:  Yeah, and so they can command
top dollar from the broadcasters.
Examiner:  Thank you.
Track 055, page 106
Presenter:  Hi guys, today on the
StreamingTVBlog, we’re going to talk
about interactive TV, so just to clarify, that’s
programmes where the action pauses at
certain points in the story, and you the
viewer choose what’s going to happen
next on-screen. Now my first guest here is
Hassan Ajab, who works as a scriptwriter
for TV dramas, including interactive shows.
Hassan:  Hi everybody.
Presenter:  So, Hassan, what’s the secret
of writing scripts for an interactive drama,
in which any number of things can happen
on-screen?
Hassan:  I wish I had a simple answer!
First of all, I’d say you need to create an
underlying story that gives the episode a
structure, but set up moments within it
when a viewer can decide the story for
themselves. While these decision-moments
can add new dimensions to the main
story’s structure, they must also allow the
underlying plot to be able to pick up
where it left off – even if the action went
off on a detour because of the choice
made, and even if that affects the
subsequent outcome. A key decision that I
make when I’m coming up with a new
story is at which points am I going to get
the viewer to step in and choose the on-
screen characters’ next moves. For me it
works best if the viewer can’t predict when
these decision moments are going to arise.
Those are the ones that get the most
interesting audience reactions, I find.
Presenter:  I see. Now my second guest
is no newcomer to the idea of creating
alternative scenarios. Tomoko Ono has
worked as a video games designer, and
now works as a consultant for interactive
TV dramas.
Tomoko:  Hi there.
Presenter:  Tomoko, I guess interactive
TV is basically like a cross between a
computer game, and a traditional TV
show, right?
Tomoko:  Well, kind of. With most
modern video games, you are actively in
control throughout and they are designed
so that the order of events can change
based on the gamer’s decisions. With
interactive TV, logistically speaking, this
level of open world control is impossible.
The audience can only participate at
certain points that change specific
controlled aspects of the storyline
development. Suppose the viewer is given
three different choices about which door to
open – that’s three separate scenes and
narratives to film to show what happened.
And these new scenes may affect details of
what happens later in the main storyline.
So as you can imagine, compared to a
standard TV show, the requirements on
time and resources are much higher.
Presenter:  Sure. Do you think drama is
the genre most suited to the interactive
format?
Tomoko:  That’s arguably the most tried
and tested one. But there’s a case for say,
learning about history, and viewers could
find out what might have happened if, say,
Fidel Castro had been caught and arrested
before taking power in Cuba.
Hassan:  Yeah, well I think that particular
example might involve more guesswork
than solid historical interpretation. But
things like cookery, where viewers could
suggest how much sugar could be
included in a dish for example, or which
ingredients to put in … that certainly has
potential.
Tomoko:  Well, I’d question what would
be the point of seeing any dish being
created in any way other than that which
the expert was recommending.
Hassan:  Fair enough, what I think this
highlights is that, until a certain interactive
show is actually made, no-one’s in a
position to ascertain whether it’d be a hit.
Tomoko:  Or whether it’d be a flop,
right? I suppose if I watched your
interactive cookery show, and there was
Hassan tipping far too much sugar into the
dish, I might love it! But until that happens,
how can we know?
Presenter:  And thinking about the
viewers out there on their sofas, watching
one of your interactive dramas, and being
hooked … how do you explain the appeal
of that?
Hassan:  Well, initially, with programmes
like Bandersnatch back in 2018, with its
alternative scenarios for the viewer to
choose what the main character says or
does, and alterative endings … which was
seen as being quite innovative, there was a
sense of ‘wow you’ve got to check this out!’
But after that kind of thing has been
around for a while, we can’t expect people
to engage with it just for its own sake. But I
think everyone has experienced these
what-if moments themselves in their own
lives, you know, ‘what if I’d never met so-
and-so’, or ‘what if I’d chosen a different
career’. And while, of course, we lack the
power to go back and change the past in
reality, it’s stimulating to be able to see
what happens to someone else, a fictional
character, when they make the choices we
didn’t.
Presenter:  Well, Hassan and Tomoko,
thank you both, it’s been fascinating.
Track 056, page 108
Customer:  Hello, I’m calling because I
still can’t get my TV box to connect
properly.
Assistant:  Right. OK. If I could start by
taking your account number, that would be
great.
Customer:  Sure. It’s 882883888/31
Assistant:  Thank you. If you will just
bear with me a moment, I’ll pull up your
details … OK, I have them. Could you
confirm your name please?
Customer:  Of course. It’s Peter Jameson.
Assistant:  Great. OK, so what seems to
be the problem?
Customer:  It’s my new TV box. I have
tried to follow the instructions in the guide
but the TV says I have no signal.
Everything is switched on but I have an
extra cable and I don’t know what it
connects to. Can you send a technician
round to help?
Assistant:  Well, we do charge for that
service. I can arrange that for you now if
needed, but perhaps I can talk you
through the TV box set up. If I may, can I
ask you a question? Is this extra cable you
mentioned an internet cable, by any
chance?
Customer:  Yes, I think it is.
Assistant:  OK. Can you try connecting
it from the yellow port on the TV box to the
yellow slot on your modem?
Customer:  OK, give me a second …
OK, that’s in. Now what?
Assistant:  OK, can you see the reset
button on the TV box? Press and hold that
for three seconds. The system will restart.
Customer:  OK, that’s done… and …
yes, it’s working. Oh, thank you ever so
much.
Assistant:  You’re welcome. Happy to be
of service. Now, if you should have any
more problems, please do not hesitate to
contact us. One more thing. I’d like to send
you a customer satisfaction survey to
complete. I’ll email you the link. If you
would be so kind as to complete that, I‘d
be very grateful.
Customer:  Oh, I would be more than
happy to do so.
Assistant:  Is there anything else I can
help you with today?
Customer:  No, that’s all. Thanks again
for your help. Bye!
Assistant:  Bye!
Track 057, page 114
Narrator:  Now turn to part 3.
You’ll hear an interview in which two
experts called Adam Bonikle and Michaela
Strickan are talking about citizen
journalism. For questions 1–6, choose the
answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best
according to what you hear. You’ll hear
the recording twice.
You now have 70 seconds to look at part
3.
Presenter:  Next on Talk Now Radio,
we’re going to discuss the rise of citizen
journalism – when ordinary members of
the public report on, or film, news events,
and share them using the internet. I’m
joined by two experts. Adam Bonikle and
Michaela Strickan, welcome.
Adam:  Thank you.
Michaela:  Hello.
Presenter:  Michaela, we’re hearing the
term citizen journalism a lot these days,
but is it really new?
Michaela:  It’s always been around to
some extent, but the internet has made it
much more prevalent. Perhaps we should
go back to November 1963 when
Abraham Zapruder took footage of
President Kennedy’s car going past him,
and inadvertently captured Kennedy’s
assassination on film. Now, this is the one
clip that people have greater familiarity
with than anything else that can be
considered citizen journalism, although of
course it’s rather unusual in that it was shot
on 8 millimetre film, as this was long
before the internet existed.
Presenter:  Indeed. But as professional
journalists you now are up against people
with little or no expertise or experience of
working as a journalist. Isn’t amateur
citizen journalism undermining your
profession?
Adam:  I don’t see that they’re in
competition in any way. Rather, I see all
the potential citizen journalists out there as
being the ones who can enable me to get
details I need for the story I’m working on.
I don’t see it as them lacking the know-
how, requiring us to show them how
it’s done. To be honest, I’m more
dependent on them than they are on me,
as they can just stick their footage on
Facebook without involving me at all.
Presenter:  OK. So has the rise of citizen
journalism had any other impact on how
you work?
Michaela:  Well, it means that news
organisations and professionals need to be
more agile in their approach. Once you
have a story, whether it came to you
through an informal network of things
being shared by the public, whether it’s a
pop star’s new haircut or a presidential
announcement, get it out there right away
because it’s not going to be breaking news
if someone’s announced it on Twitter
already. Even if it contains a shaky hand-
held clip rather than professionally shot
footage, news professionals ideally want
the story to be traceable back to them.
Presenter:  So you’ve seen big changes
during your careers?
Adam:  Definitely! I’d say the whole
practice of gathering and disseminating
the news has become more democratic.
Michaela:  That’s a good way of putting
it. The public used to be consumers of the
news, but now they can be creators too. It’s
happening to someone somewhere every
day, but it won’t happen to everyone.
Adam:  I think the rise of citizen
journalism has caused a shift in the
balance of power. It used to be the
newspaper editors and the TV news
producers who had the say in what made
the headlines, but now that’s not the
necessarily the case.
Michaela:  That’s true, it’s the people out
there who determine what’s trending on
social media at any time. And that then
feeds into what makes the news and what
doesn’t.
Presenter:  What kind of stories are
citizen journalists most likely to be involved
in?
Adam:  Well, anything from filming a
train crash they witnessed to
photographing overflowing bins which
haven’t been emptied. But it’s local news
where citizen journalism really comes into
its own. In many cases, meetings of the
local council would go unreported if it
wasn’t for someone there who put it on
their blog or whatever. Now in most cases,
that will have a small audience and only
be of interest to people in the area, but
occasionally it can go viral and become
national news.
Presenter:  And looking ahead, how
would you like to see citizen journalism
evolve?
AUDIOSCRIPTS 17
Michaela:  Well, I think we’re kidding
ourselves if we think that kind-hearted
members of the public are going to
continue forever giving away content
without recompense. If we look at a
website in Korea that began back in 2000
publishing stuff from citizen journalists,
called Oh My News, their model is to
actually recompense contributors. Not
everyone, but those whose content gets
more than a certain number of hits. It’s a
modest sum and wouldn’t sustain someone
doing it for a living, but it does I think
show the way forward.
Presenter:  Well. Thank you both for
coming in, and perhaps our talk today will
inspire some of our listeners to become
citizen reporters themselves.
Both:  Thank you.
Narrator:  Now you’ll hear part 3 again.
Repeat Part 3
Narrator:  That’s the end of part 3.
Track 058, page 117
Presenter:  So now on Behind the News,
I’m going to talk to the prominent journalist
Charlotte Matthews and we’re going to be
discussing what it is that makes some
things newsworthy as soon as they hit the
headlines. Charlotte, welcome to Behind
the News.
Charlotte:  Thank you.
Presenter:  Charlotte, sometimes there’s
a breaking news story that really captures
the public imagination. But other stories
just come and go without anyone noticing.
What’s going on there?
Charlotte:  Well, there are various
factors that can conspire to make a story
newsworthy. As people, we’re inevitably
fascinated by other people. We naturally
try to empathise with what others are
going through. So, for example, a story
about a couple of siblings who were
separated at birth but then somehow
reunited in old age, this would be a great
story full of emotion, which would capture
the imagination of anyone. We’d try and
imagine how they feel, and how we would
feel if it was us.
Presenter:  Sure. You are talking about
what I believe is referred to as a human
interest story. I imagine such a story would
be quite a scoop for the journalist who first
reported it!
Charlotte:  Yes exactly. If you can be the
first to interview them and get the inside
story, then it can enhance a journalist’s
reputation. But don’t forget that we’re not
only intrigued by stories with happy
endings. We’re also fascinated by what
happens when people fall out. Celebrity
divorces – there’s an argument that the
private lives of high-profile people should
be just that – private. But it’s not always the
case because of the public’s curiosity about
seeing conflict in the lives of their favourite
18
stars, regardless of whether it’s in the
public interest to know who left who.
Presenter:  And a couple splitting up, on
the face of it, that’s so commonplace, so
why should we be interested?
Charlotte:  It’s a valid point. You see, a
good story also benefits from novelty
value, something strange or unusual that
people haven’t come across before. For
example, when a dolphin gets sick after
ingesting plastic, it might be a tragic
reflection on the state of our oceans, but
it’s unlikely to grab people’s attention – it’s
happening all the time. But when the
authorities resort to getting the man with
the longest arms in the world to stick his
arms down the dolphin’s throat and extract
the plastic …
Presenter:  Seriously? That sounds quite
cynical.
Charlotte:  I’m not making it up! ‘World’s
tallest man rescues dolphin’ makes for a
much better headline. After all, what are
the chances of that happening! If you saw
that headline on your phone, well, it’s
perfect clickbait!
Presenter:  Well, yes, I suppose I would
want to read that!
Charlotte:  And another element that
can add weight to a story is the number of
people who are affected by it. If there’s an
increase of two percent in the minimum
wage, well, perhaps it’s not very exciting,
but there will be consequences for the
millions of people for whom it basically
means a pay rise.
Presenter:  Sure. Well that’s really
interesting. And do you think that …
UNIT 9
Track 059, page 120
At first glance they don’t appear similar to
each other at all. However, the more I
look, the more I see that they have a few
things in common. Both show groups of
people enjoying themselves. In the case of
the former, it is through dancing and
listening to music, whereas in the latter, it
would appear to be some kind of religious
festival and everybody seems to be
covered in some kind of red dye. The
people in the first photo seem a little more
concerned with their appearance.
Everybody looks cool and clean. However,
in the latter, they are far less worried
about it, in fact, the attitude seems to be
the messier, the better. I personally would
enjoy the second festival the least – getting
all that red stuff everywhere isn’t
appealing, certainly not as appealing as
listening to my favourite bands live in the
sunshine. That said, participating in the
second festival is probably far more
memorable and, visually speaking, all
those bright colours make for a better
photo.
Track 060, page 122
Interviewer:  So, Jay Marie, how did
you get interested in Japanese culture?
Jay Marie:  Well, it all started with
anime , the new Japanese cartoons,
especially Manga. I loved the books and
the films. Initially, the appeal was visual. I
loved the aesthetic – the bold style, the
dramatic scenes, even the way the
characters were drawn. As a young child,
I was given some comics and DVDs by an
uncle who had visited Japan and I used to
spend hours copying the artwork style.
And that was before I’d ever even read
one of their books or seen one of their
films. But once I did, I was addicted. The
stories were fantastic, so different to
anything that comes from my country. I
wanted to know where the stories had
originated, so I started doing more
research and found out that a lot of them
were based on Japanese history and old
folklore, and this in turn led me to dig
deeper into Japanese customs and
traditions.
Track 061, page 122
Interviewer:  Can you think of any
examples of a traditional Japanese story
that is told in a Manga story?
Jay Marie:  Yes, plenty. One of the best
examples, I think, is ‘Mononoke’. The story
is based on the mythical legend of the
medicine seller who travelled across feudal
Japan looking for vengeful spirits called
mononoke. In order to defeat these evil
spirits with his sword, he had to gain an
understanding of the psychology and
characteristics of each mononoke. I later
learned that some people believe that this
story is a metaphor for how closed
Samurai society was and the way in which
the royalty and nobles, who lived in a very
isolated ‘locked-in’ society, became
paranoid about contagious diseases being
spread by evil spirits.
Interviewer:  That’s interesting. A lot of
Japanese culture seems to be based on the
idea of the Samurai. How important are
the Samurai in Manga stories?
Jay Marie:  The Samurai are venerated
in Japanese culture as a whole and
Manga is no different in the way that it
celebrates this unique warrior culture. One
of my favourite stories that is based on a
real Samurai story is ‘Basilisk’. In this story
ten ninjas from the Iga Clan must fight ten
ninjas from the Kouga clan. The winners
will then be granted power for the next
thousand years. What makes the story
more interesting is that there is also a
psychological element in that two members
of the opposing clans fall in love. I was
also really surprised to find out that these
clans were real ninja clans. In fact, the Iga
clan has its own ninja museum. As well as
the usual things that you would expect to
see in a museum, you can take part in
Ninja rituals and learn their secrets, watch
a performance and even have a training
session. I really hope that I can go there
one day!
Interviewer:  So are Manga stories
always set in the past?
Jay Marie:  No, not at all, although a lot
of the ones that are set in the present day
often also use a variety of ideas from more
traditional stories. One of the first Manga
stories I came across was ‘the Eccentric
Family’. It is set in modern day Kyoto, but
the city is populated by Tanuki and Tengu.
Tanuki are traditional dog-like creatures
with shapeshifting powers that are
common in Japanese folklore, and the
Tengu is a type of mythological demon or
monster, often portrayed with a red face
and long nose, being skilled in martial
arts, and having magical powers such as
being able to transform into animals. If you
haven’t read Manga stories before, I’d
suggest you start off with this one. It is
fascinating to see how elements of
Japanese folklore interact in a modern day
city context, but most of all it is a lovely
story about family and friendship. Even if
you don’t know a great deal about
Japanese folklore, I’m sure that you would
still enjoy this story.
Interviewer:  Would you say that the
fantasy element, which draws a lot on
folklore, is what attracts people to Manga?
Jay Marie:  I think it’s one of the things
that attracts people, but Manga is aimed
at young people and sometimes the stories
are set purely in the modern day and
explore themes that are important to them.
A good example is ‘March comes in like a
lion’. It tells the story of a 17-year-old Shogi
player. Shogi is a Japanese board game
which is similar to chess, although it does
look a lot more complicated than chess, to
be honest. Anyway, it explores the
character’s everyday life and problems
and how pressure from his family and the
shogi community leads him to leave home.
He becomes isolated, reclusive and doesn’t
look after himself. He then meets three
sisters, who try to look after him. In a
nutshell, this story looks at a lot of themes
around friendship, stress and mental health
in general, which a lot of teenagers all
over the world can relate to. At first I found
it very hard going, as unlike other anime it
doesn’t move at a particularly quick pace,
but in the end I really enjoyed it.
Interviewer:  Interesting. It’s clear then
that there is a lot more to Manga than just
entertainment.
Track 062, page 125
I was amazed when one of my classmates
told me that she never plans or reviews the
essays she writes. Having said that, that
particular student never scores highly for
their writing, so perhaps it isn’t all that
surprising after all. Five minutes of
planning at the start and five minutes
checking at the end can make a huge
difference to the quality of the writing you
produce, but I think many students are so
worried about time-keeping in exams that
they feel like they don’t have time to plan.
How wrong can you be?
Anyway, I am now studying for my
Cambridge Advanced exam and here’s my
approach to Part 1 essays.
A Part 1 essay always asks you to choose
two out of three factors to write about. I
start by asking myself which two of the
three I have more to say about. In
particular, I consider whether I can think of
any specific examples related to any of the
points. Once I have decided which two to
focus on, I decide on my stance. In part
one essays, this often involves deciding on
which of the two factors / events / items,
etc., you feel is more important or
worthwhile than the other. One mistake I
have made a few times is to forget this
part of the question. I have discussed the
positive and negative features of both
factors but not said which one I feel is
more significant. The next step is to decide
how many paragraphs you are going to
include and what each will contain. In Part
one, this is fairly straightforward but it is
important to decide at this stage whether
you will give your opinion in the
introduction or save it till the conclusion. It
is also important to note down very briefly
each point you will include in each
paragraph. I spend about five minutes on
this and it is time well spent!
Something I do which most of my friends
don’t is that I actually brainstorm the topic-
related vocabulary I’m going to include
before I start writing. Otherwise, I find that
once I start writing, I’m rushing and just
using very ordinary vocabulary, which is
not at Advanced level. While writing, too, I
am constantly upgrading the vocabulary
that first comes into my head. I also keep
wracking my brains for synonyms to avoid
repetition. I am very mindful of the
sentence structures I’m using. So, every
time I start a new sentence, I’m thinking
‘right, I used the passive voice in the
previous sentence, so maybe here I can
use a participle or relative clause or some
type of conditional’. I try to run a kind of
mental checklist of the language we have
studied in class and see if it is possible to
include it. In the same way, I try to make
sure that I use good linking words and
phrases to connect my ideas. An essay is
much easier to follow if you do.
Time is usually very tight but I try to leave
a couple of minutes at the end to
proofread my work. In exam conditions, it
is so easy to make silly mistakes, which can
adversely affect the mark you get. As well
as checking basic errors like spellings,
articles, tenses and punctuation, I always
try to further upgrade my language where
possible. Even adding a word like
considerably or slightly before a
comparative form can help make your
language sound more advanced.
Track 063, page 126
Natasha:  In my country, most people
get married simply because it’s expected
of them. Many people have lavish
weddings in order to show off their
family’s wealth and status. Since I’d rather
spend my money on my studies, I’m not
planning to waste money on an
extravagant ceremony so that others can
have a good time at our expense.
Tomas:  The biggest difference I’ve seen
is that, because of changes in the law,
people now have more choice about how
and where to get married. As a result,
weddings have got more interesting. One
of my friends got married in a hot air
balloon! I’d love to do that.
Deepa:  As I’m happily single, I can’t
think of many compelling reasons to get
married. My best friend got married
abroad so as to avoid the problems
associated with relatives who don’t get on.
I’d do the same – get married in Australia
so no one could attend!
Takahiro:  Most people are leaving it till
later to get married in order to travel and
develop their careers. Therefore there has
been a marked increase in middle-aged
parents in my society.
Jodie:  Weddings have become
prohibitively expensive, hence, more and
more young people are not doing the
traditional thing and instead are looking at
cheaper alternatives. I think it’s a bit sad
not to get married due to the price tag.
After all, it is meant to be one of the most
special days of anybody’s life.
Track 064, page 127
1 Being intelligible is what matters most.
2 Your accent should not reveal where
you’re from.
3 Pronunciation of individual sounds is
not very important.
4 In English, the words that carry the
meaning are stressed.
5 Unintentionally stressing the wrong
words can change the meaning of a
sentence.
6 In longer words each syllable carries
the same amount of stress.
7 Intonation can make you sound
enthusiastic, bored or surprised, but can
also be a source of confusion if used
inappropriately.
AUDIOSCRIPTS 19
 Track 065, page 127
Saroj:  Yes, I have. I was lucky enough to
attend the Venice Carnival two years ago.
The carnival has a long history, going back
to the 11th century, and still maintains
many of the old traditions. People dress in
masks and costumes, and take part in
parades around the city. There’s also live
music and traditional carnival food, such
as the sweet pastry frittelle.
Julia:  Well actually, I’m hoping to go to a
literary festival next month. It’s back in my
home town and it consists of mini plays,
poetry readings and book signings by
famous authors, as well as discussions and
debates on the year’s most significant new
titles. I did Italian and Spanish literature for
my degree, so this kind of festival is right
up my street. I’m sure it’ll be a great
experience.
Alain:  That’s an easy one! If I had the
chance, I’d definitely go to Glastonbury,
which is an iconic festival held in England
every summer. Apparently, it’s quite muddy
as it tends to rain all the time over there,
but the music is awesome. They also have
circus acts, cabaret, comedy, drama and
so much more. I think it’d be brilliant.
Eun-Young:  Well, to be honest, I’d much
rather attend a traditional festival for
several different reasons, one of which is I
prefer eating the kind of food we have at
our Korean festivals than the burgers and
chips you might get at a modern event.
Also, I do occasionally enjoy dressing up
in our national costume because it’s just so
elegant.
Track 066, page 127
Alain:  If I had the chance, I’d definitely
go to Glastonbury, which is an iconic
festival held in England every summer.
Eun-Young:  Well, to be honest, I’d much
rather attend a traditional festival, for
several different reasons …
Saroj:  Yes, I have. I was lucky enough to
attend the Venice Carnival two years ago.
Julia:  Well actually, I’m hoping to go to a
literary festival next month.
Track 067, page 131
Conversation 1
Festival-goer:  Excuse me, I’m afraid
I’ve lost my wristband. What can I do
about it?
Security guard:  Well, you can get a
replacement as long as you show your ID
again. You need to go back to the
registration desk where you got your
original wristband.
Festival-goer:  Can I still use the lock-
ups in the meantime? I don’t really want to
carry my valuables with me all the time.
Security guard:  Yes, you can. The only
thing you won’t be able to do is buy age-
restricted items. The purple wristband
proves you’re over 18, you see.
20
Conversation 2
Man:  So, what did you think of that
performance? Epic, wasn’t it? They
absolutely owned the stage.
Woman:  They’re a class act, I’ll give you
that. But to be honest, I’ve seen them play
better. Their set list certainly wasn’t as
strong as last year. I also felt that the lead
singer’s stage presence was a little flat.
Man:  Are we talking about the same
performance? The crowd loved it.
Particularly when they came on to play the
encore. Everybody was dancing and
singing along and the roar they got at the
end was deafening.
Conversation 3
Teenager A:  So, do you know who’s
headlining this year?
Teenager B:  It’s a pretty impressive line-
up. Loads of big names will be on the
main stage. It’s a great mix of current
chart-toppers and new talent.
Teenager A:  Has the running order
been released yet?
Teenager B:  Some of it has but there
are always a few surprises. Hey, listen!
Have you bought your ticket yet? If you
haven’t, then get a move on. Last year’s
festival sold out in two weeks.
Teenager A:  Good point. Those resale
websites are usually a complete rip-off.
UNIT 10
Track 068, page 133
Speaker A:  Imagine living in a world in
which there were no sports whatsoever.
The world we know would certainly be a
different place, but to my mind it would not
be a better one. Sports have always been
an integral part of society and perform a
number of extremely valuable social
functions.
Speaker B:  ‘Serious sport has nothing
to do with fair play … it is war minus the
shooting.’ said George Orwell. Certainly
there are many people who would agree
with this sentiment, but by encouraging it,
we’re essentially teaching our children that
cheating is acceptable, not only in sports,
but in life in general. Perhaps it is time for
us to remind ourselves of the benefits of
playing games with respect both for our
opponent and the rules.
Speaker C:  The purpose of today’s
presentation is to discuss how the
introduction of the VAR television replay
system is changing how we watch certain
sports and to suggest how it should move
forward.
Speaker D:  How would you like to be
the best in the world at a certain sport?
Certainly, a lot of people would jump at
the chance to be the number one in
something they love. However, what a lot
of people fail to appreciate is the amount
of time and dedication that is required to
reach the top. By looking at the stories of
top athletes we can gain some sort of
understanding of the levels of sacrifice and
commitment needed to make it to the top.
Speaker E:  OK, I’d like you to raise your
hand if you’ve ever watched a basketball
game on TV. Yes, most people have at
some point. Now, how many of you have
actually attended a live game … OK, far
less of you are raising your hands now. I
think it’s fair to say that television is
probably the most common platform for
sports fans these days and what is
interesting is the influence this has on how
we now consume sporting events.
Speaker F:  Did you know that there are
at least 1000 games that can be played
using a pack of cards? Given that a pack
of cards consists of four suits and 52 cards
in total that’s quite a surprising number.
What may surprise you more is to find out
how long playing cards have existed and
how the cards we use today came into
existence.
Track 069, page 134
Woman:  Do you remember the
Wimbledon tennis championship in 1985?
Man:  Of course – who could forget the
championship win by Boris Becker, aged
just 17! I mean, he had such a powerful
serve that half the time, his opponents
couldn’t get anywhere near it. Plus, they’d
usually use video footage of the other guy
before a match to study their technique.
But they couldn’t with Becker, the new kid
on the block, who just came from nowhere.
He hadn’t been around long enough.
Woman:  Right, and so he wasn’t
seeded, was he? So he didn’t automatically
qualify to play at Wimbledon based on his
world ranking because he hadn’t
accumulated enough victories to merit a
place.
Man:  Exactly, just a twist of fate that he
got in really. Who’s to say how his career
would have progressed if he hadn’t landed
that opportunity as a 17-year-old?
Track 070, page 134
Man:  You know what I’ve noticed?
Woman:  What’s that?
Man:  Well, traditional board games are
making a big comeback. I mean, forget
your online gaming and consoles and all
the rest, it’s the games our grandparents
would have played, like draughts, chess
and stuff – that’s where it’s at now. But
nobody was playing those games when
we were kids!
Woman:  Right, well, you know about
Dragonbusters don’t you – it’s a massively
successful online game, so they released a
board game version too. So maybe that’s
the way forward – games that bridge the
gap and succeed in both formats.
Obviously it’s too early to know if the new
version of Dragonbusters will take off.
Man:  Well, I’m not convinced it’ll be any
more than a one-off. The vast majority of
games will surely remain either in one
format or the other.
Track 071, page 141
Narrator:  Now turn to part 1.
You will hear three different extracts. For
questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B or
C) which fits best according to what you
hear. There are two questions for each
extract. You’ll hear each extract twice.
Extract 1. You will hear two friends
discussing sports in schools. Now look at
questions one and two.
Man:  Just thinking, you know, about the
sports they do in schools now – and, well I
suppose the same applied when we were
at school … I suppose the idea really is to
instil a sense of pride in kids, you know, in
collaborating with others, working as a
team.
Woman:  I guess so, at least in part.
Man:  That’s with team sports of course.
For individual sports, they get you to push
yourself, you know, outplay your opponent,
go faster than you did the previous time
and so on. And these things apply to
everything, whatever sports are in vogue
at the time.
Woman:  Yes, and on the whole I think
this is a good thing. My issue is that
schools tend to assume that every single
kid is sporty, which of course isn’t the case,
and I think they should look carefully at
how they, you know, shove it down kids’
throats, so to speak, regardless of whether
that kid is into sport or not. Or they could
think about allowing kids to opt out of
sport and do something else, ideally a
healthy outdoor activity.
Repeat Extract 1
Track 072, page 141
Narrator:  Extract 2. You will hear a
man telling his wife about a football match
he has just watched. Now look at
questions three and four
Man:  I’ll tell you why our team lost today.
It wasn’t that we were outplayed by the
opposition. The length of the pitch wasn’t
right for our game, and that’s ultimately
why we lost. It’s two metres shorter than
our home ground.
Woman:  Oh come on, you can’t
attribute the fact that you lost to the length
of the grass, or the pitch or whatever! Even
if the teams were evenly matched and
gave it their best, as often as not it’s just
down to chance at the end of the day.
Man:  Ah, well, you say that, but a
smaller pitch means there’s less space left
to manoeuvre in, so our players struggled
to avoid colliding both with each other and
the opposition players. As a result, we kept
getting penalised by the referee.
Woman:  Yeah well, it’s only a game.
Man:  Oh please don’t say that – it is
never only a game.
Repeat Extract 2
Track 073, page 141
Narrator:  Extract 3. You will hear a
woman telling a friend about a pottery
course she attended. Now look at
questions five and six.
Woman:  Anyway, I did a one-day
pottery course the other day.
Man:  Oh yeah? I did one of those a few
years back when I was 16. Did you enjoy
it?
Woman:  Yeah. A friend and I found this
tutor online, and the ratings were pretty
good. We both felt a bit anxious turning
up, but the lady running it, she was able to
make us all feel at ease, so we needn’t
have worried! And as the course
programme had said, we got through a lot
– more than you’d expect – given that we
were novices.
Man:  I think that kind of experience can
be really beneficial – of course there’s a
possibility, albeit a remote one, that you
might really take to … pottery or whatever,
and think ‘Hey I could do this for a living’
… But to give something a go regardless
of whether you have any prior experience
and really relish it … I just think that’s
brilliant fun!
Repeat Extract 3
Track 074, page 143
Speaker 1:  Right, well this is a sort of
guessing game, and a dancing game. You
need a reasonable sized group of people
in a room. One of them is going to be the
detective, so they need to step outside the
room. Then one person is chosen from the
ones who remain inside, and they have to
think up a dance move, which everyone
else copies. And when they adapt their
dance, everyone else has to do likewise.
So when the detective comes back in
everyone dances away to the music, and
the detective has to monitor everyone’s
moves. And the object of the game is for
the detective to identify the person who’s
instigating everyone’s dance moves.
Speaker 2:  This game starts with
everyone getting into pairs. Then the
organiser designates one person in each
pair as the horse, and the other as the
rider. So, all the riders stand in the middle
of the room in a circle. And the horses
form another circle outside them, so you’ve
got two concentric rings of people. When
the organiser says ‘horses go!’, all the
horses run around the ring clockwise. And
then on the command ‘riders go!’ the
riders do likewise. This carries on until the
organiser shouts ‘riders up!’ Everyone must
get back into their original pairings, with
each rider up on their respective horse’s
back, getting a piggyback. And the last
pair to get into position are disqualified.
The game continues until there’s only one
pair left.
Speaker 3:  OK, so you just choose one
person from the group, or each person
takes it in turn to be the person in the
centre. Then for one minute, everyone else
in the game fires questions at them, which
they’ve got to answer, but they cannot
answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If they hesitate or
repeat themselves, then a ten-second
penalty is imposed. If they manage to
complete a minute without messing up,
they score a point. And if they do say ‘yes’
or ‘no’ at any point, then they’re out, and
it’s the next person’s go.
Speaker 4:  This is a card game for two
to six players. One person deals out seven
cards to each player. The remaining cards
are placed face down except for one
which is face up. The object of the game is
to swap cards to get sets of cards that are
either all the same number or picture, or to
get a running sequence of cards in the
same suit, say the 5, the 6, and the 7 of
hearts. The minimum set of cards is three
and the maximum four. In fact, you need
four of one set and three of the other to
win the game. Each player takes it in turns
to pick up a card, either the top card from
the face-down cards or the top card of the
face up cards. The player can choose to
keep the card they pick up and throw
away one they don’t need, or if the card
they pick up is of no use to them, they can
simply throw this away. The thrown-away
card is always placed on the top of the
pile of face-up cards. The winner is the first
person to get a set of three and a set of
four cards.
UNIT 11
Track 075, page 147
1A We came here to recruit the best
possible candidates.
1B The reason we came here was to recruit
the best possible candidates.
2A I do hope Jenny gets the promotion she
deserves.
2B I hope Jenny gets the promotion she
deserves.
3A The company directors have known
about the job losses for some time.
3B For some time the company directors
have known about the job losses.
Track 076, page 147
1 Gone are the days of a job for life.
2 What I need is a job with flexible
working hours.
3 Your performance does need to
improve or you may be dismissed.
4 Because there are no jobs here I’m
moving to London.
AUDIOSCRIPTS 21
 Track 077, page 148
Good morning, everyone. For those of you
who are new to the company, I’m Stella
Whitely, Head of HR. I’ve asked you to
come to this meeting because there are
some important changes taking place in
the company over the next few months,
which you all need to know about. I know
there have been rumours going around, so
my intention is to clarify what is – and isn’t
– going to happen.
But before I get onto that, I’m delighted to
finally be able to introduce Greg’s
successor, Miss Ana Lopez, who took over
his role just a few days ago. Can everyone
please make Ana feel as welcome as
possible when she starts in her new role
next week?
Right, on to the main business of today’s
meeting. I know you all feel a sense of
dread at the word restructuring, but it
doesn’t necessarily mean redundancies. I
can reassure you that no one on a
permanent contract – whether full- or part-
time – has anything to worry about.
However, in terms of casual staff or those
on fixed-term contracts, there will be some
cutbacks. What this also means, I’m afraid,
is that some of the routine work formerly
covered by them will need to be picked up
by full-timers. Regrettably, as a result of the
economic downturn, the workforce will,
over time, be subject to further cutbacks.
When staff leave the company – whether
due to resignation, retirement or dismissal
– they will generally not be replaced. On
the bright side, this could mean that those
of you who do stay on with us will see
greater opportunities for promotion.
OK, so there are a few other things I need
to mention. I regret to inform you that
lunch break will, from the beginning of
next month, be cut from 1 hour to 45
minutes. In order to soften the blow a little,
a free lunch will be provided on Mondays
and Fridays. Now, another change that
many of you will be pleased to hear about
is the re-introduction of volunteering days.
From next year, every member of staff will
get three days a year to spend working for
a charity or on community projects. I know
several of you have been requesting this
for quite a while now and hopefully it will
be a real opportunity to give back to the
local community. Don’t worry if you can’t
think what to do with your time: we will
create opportunities for you to work with
colleagues on a project that matches your
skills and interests. These are optional
days, of course. If you prefer, you can
come to work as normal. Unfortunately,
you can’t just take the days as extra annual
leave. Finally, I’m delighted to be able to
announce that, to bring us in line with
other companies in the sector, paternity
leave entitlement is set to increase from
one week to two as long as you meet the
legal conditions.
22
I will be putting all this in an email later
today, so don’t worry if you felt it was too
much to take in. And don’t hesitate to call
or email if you have any questions.
Track 078, page 148
1 I’m so sorry to have to tell you this but,
we’re going to have to let you go.
2 It gives me no pleasure to inform you
that the management have decided to
close your department.
3 I’m immensely proud to announce that
your team has topped the sales charts
for the whole region.
4 You may be surprised to hear that Peter
is taking early retirement.
Track 079, page 150
1A A degree and two years’ work
experience are essential requirements.
1B Not only is a degree an essential
requirement, but you also need two
years’ work experience.
2A I didn’t encourage the workers to go on
strike at any time.
2B At no time did I encourage the workers
to go on strike.
Track 080, page 151
Carlo:  Shall I begin? Well, I’m going to
come straight out and say that working for
yourself is the best. You’re your own boss,
you decide when and how you work and
you get all the profits!
Beth:  You sound very sure about that, but
I beg to differ. Let me ask you a question.
What if there aren’t any profits? Then you’ll
get nothing. At least if you work for
someone else, you’ll still get paid. And you
get your benefits like holiday pay, sick pay,
pension contributions and so on.
Carlo:  Well, I’d make sure that didn’t
happen. The bottom line is that I would not
be great at being told what to do. So,
what do you think about casual work?
Beth:  I’m doing casual work at the
moment before I start college. The most
obvious advantage is there’s no stress. You
don’t really need to take much
responsibility. You just go in and do your
job and go home.
Carlo:  You make some good points. I like
the idea of not having much pressure but
on the other hand, there’s no job security.
The jobs are often on zero-hours contracts,
so you never know how much money
you’re getting.
Beth:  I suppose you’re right, but it suits
me at the moment. You wouldn’t want to
do it in the long term. So, do you think it’s
preferable to work for a private company
or a governmental agency?
Carlo:  Mmm, I’m sitting on the fence on
that one. Although they pay less, most
government jobs give you stability, a good
pension and reasonable working hours,
whereas private companies want to
squeeze as much work as possible out of
their staff.
Beth:  I couldn’t agree more. For me
personally, work-life balance is a priority. If
I worked for a private company, I wouldn’t
have time for my social life and hobbies.
OK, so, moving on, what do you think
about voluntary work?
Carlo:  Well, obviously you can’t live off
thin air, so you couldn’t spend all your time
working for nothing. Nevertheless, to my
mind, it’s definitely worth considering.
Beth:  I agree with you 100 percent. After
all, giving up even a few hours a week to
help someone in need – well, the feeling of
satisfaction is immense.
Track 081, page 151
Examiner:  OK, I’d now like you to
decide which two types of employment
have the most advantages.
Beth:  OK, so … I think we can agree that
working for the government has to be one
of the two.
Carlo:  Absolutely. I’m not sure we’re
going to see eye to eye on a second one,
though. As you know, I’m very much in
favour of self-employment. For me, there
are far more advantages in working for
yourself than any of the other options.
Beth:  Well, as I said before, I think the
disadvantages far outweigh the
advantages, so let’s look at the others.
We’re both fans of voluntary work, aren’t
we? Shall we choose that?
Carlo:  Well, I admit that I did say
voluntary work was a good thing to do.
However, let’s not forget that there’s one
massive disadvantage – no salary. That
cancels out a lot of the advantages,
wouldn’t you say?
Beth:  OK, so that leaves casual work or
working for a private company. Both of
them have their pros and cons but in most
cases, a private company is better because
it’s well-paid and fairly stable.
Carlo:  Yes, I think you’re right so let’s go
with that.
Track 082, page 151
Carlo:  Yes, I would say it is fairly
important so that students learn some
basic skills like time management and
working in a team. Also, it can give them
some spending money, taking pressure off
their parents. But, in some places, either
the work is not available or it’s not really
the done thing for students to work, so it’s
not the end of the world if they can’t do
casual work.
Beth:  Well, I must admit I’d never heard
of the concept until I read an article about
it recently, but in theory, I think it’s great.
We often assume companies are driven by
profit – which they are – but since they are
making money from the local community,
it’s only right that they should give back by
supporting local charities or events.
Carlo:  I do think work-life balance is vital
for most people, but it’s less important
when you’re starting out in your career.
When you’re single, you might be able to
devote more time to work but as you start
having commitments – such as a partner
and children – it is absolutely crucial to
ensure you have enough time outside
work.
Beth:  Well, some people are naturally
more competitive and ambitious than
others. Some people are quite content with
what they have in life, which may just be in
their nature or may be a conscious
decision to avoid the pressure of climbing
the corporate ladder. Also, some people
are more motivated by money than others,
which affects how much work they’re
prepared to put in.
Track 083, page 155
Martin:  Hi. I’m here to register for
employment. Is there a form I need to fill
in?
Agent:  Yes, I’ll help you with that. Take a
seat. Could I start by taking your details?
Martin:  Sure. My name’s Martin Aguero.
That’s A-G-U-E-R-O. And my address is 47
Racecourse Avenue in Arundel.
Agent:  And can I have your email
address?
Martin:  Yes, it’s Martin1995@mailhot.
com.
Agent:  What’s the best way for us to get
in touch with you, Martin? Can we
message you?
Martin:  Yes, of course. My mobile
number is 07952 823554. But I regularly
check my emails, so emails are fine.
Agent:  Thanks. And are you entitled to
work in the UK?
Martin:  Yes, I am.
Agent:  Is there a notice period for your
current position?
Martin:  Er, well, no. That is, I’m not
working at the moment. I’ve just graduated
from university.
Agent:  Oh, I see. So, are you looking for
a job in a particular field?
Martin:  Well, ideally, I’d like something
which uses my language skills. I studied
French and German at university here in
the UK, so I have a degree and I’m fluent
in four languages – my native Spanish
being the other one. I also have a post-
graduate diploma in translation.
Agent:  Lovely. Unfortunately, we don’t
get much translation work here, but we will
bear you in mind if anything does come in.
The majority of the work we have
available here is more generic office work.
Would you be interested in office work?
Martin:  Sure. I guess it would depend on
what the work involves, but yes.
Agent:  OK. How are your IT skills?
Martin:  I would say that I am a
competent user of Microsoft software.
Agent:  Would you be willing to relocate?
As we a national recruitment agency, there
are positions available in most of the major
towns and cities.
Martin:  Well, I’d rather stay in this area
but I’d consider it for the right position. Of
course, it would have to be a permanent
position for me to do so.
Agent:  Sure. Speaking of which, let’s
discuss working hours. What about part-
time work, job shares, short-term contracts
or night shifts? Would you be open to any
of those options?
Martin:  Mmm, I really need to work full-
time but I wouldn’t mind a short-term
contract so I can get some experience
before getting a permanent position.
However, night shifts are out of the
question.
Agent:  Fair enough. Are you in
possession of a valid UK driving license? I
ask because we do have some delivery
companies on our books. If so, would this
kind of work be of interest to you?
Martin:  No to both questions. I have an
Argentinian driving licence but as I
understand it, I would need to take the test
in this country. And in any case, I’m not
sure that kind of work would be my cup of
tea.
Agent:  OK, great. Finally, are you able
to supply references from previous
employers?
Martin:  Unfortunately not. This will be
my first employment in the UK.
Agent:  Well, that’s all for now. If you
could just sign and date the form. We’ll be
in touch as soon as we have something
suitable.
UNIT 12
Track 084, page 159
Woman:  I’m sure you’re familiar with the
notion that the majority of us, when asked
to rate our own intelligence, consider
ourselves to have above average intellect.
Well, I’ve just been reading a book called
The Intelligence Trap by David Robson,
and for any of you who do consider
yourselves to be geniuses, I’m afraid I have
some bad news for you!
Now, it’s all too easy to make mistakes,
and we all do it, but Robson takes issue
with lazy thinking, which so many of us fall
into the trap of. And it’s this which he
argues can lead to avoidable errors of
judgement. An example would be the ice
cream scenario, where it’s all too easy to
just assume that if two kids can eat two ice
creams in two minutes, then the time
needed for five kids to eat five ice creams
is five minutes. But of course it isn’t – it’s
just two minutes.
The problem, according to Robson, is that
people are misers when it comes to
applying their intelligence. Nobody would
sit an exam without engaging their brain,
and yet when it comes to everyday
situations they make no effort to do
likewise. Of course if it was a job interview
they would, one hopes, endeavour to
demonstrate their thinking skills.
Let’s consider an example where many
people fail to do so: if all living things need
water, and if a rose needs water, does it
follow from these two statements that a
rose is a living thing? Well, no, of course
not. Now, 70 percent of students were
observed to get this one wrong, so you
might conclude that given their poor
performance, you could make the case
that academic qualifications carry more
weight for recruiters than they should, and
that some form of logic testing should be
used as well in order to accurately gauge
intelligence.
Robson provides many examples of people
using their brains in what you might call a
one-sided way, because rather than
approaching a problem from both sides,
as it were, they jump to conclusions that
are consistent with views they already
hold, which he terms motivated reasoning.
It’s a central theme of Robson’s book.
And we see people failing to apply logic
all the time, including those who should be
wise enough to know better. There are
many who deny that climate change is a
reality, considering it instead a form of
fake news, as their so-called expertise,
they think, entitles them to dismiss all the
science. They simply choose to disregard
anything that doesn’t fit well with the
beliefs they already hold.
So, what can a person’s performance in
logic tests actually tell us? Well, more than
you might think. Take problems like this
one: a farmer had thirteen sheep. All but
six died. How many are left? And most
people say seven, whereas in fact of
course it’s six, not seven, like most people
think. And we can see a high correlation
between someone getting questions like
that wrong and increased likelihood that
they will fall into debt at some stage. And
so it follows that if people can train
themselves to think logically, it can benefit
them in all walks of life.
So, what can we do to avoid being caught
out by flawed reasoning? Well, Robson
argues that if we slow down we’d be less
likely to fall victim to these slips. This is
counter-intuitive in a world where to
behave cleverly is to be ‘quick’, so perhaps
it’s a quality that isn’t valued in our culture
as much as it should be.
AUDIOSCRIPTS 23
 Track 085, page 162
Speaker 1:  I couldn’t believe what I was
hearing from that politician. I was
genuinely lost for words at how ridiculous
his new policy was.
Speaker 2:  When I won the award, I
felt such a rush of emotion that I started
sobbing and couldn’t stop for about five
minutes.
Speaker 3:  A lot of people get very
upset if their favourite movie or TV show
does not live up to their expectations, but
personally, I don’t get that invested in
things. It’s only a story, after all.
Speaker 4:  Sometimes, I worry about
some of the opinions I read online and the
attitude and prejudices of the people who
write them. It makes me want to abandon
social media altogether.
Speaker 5:  I want to return a T-shirt I
bought because I chose the wrong size,
but I really don’t want to have to explain it
all to the sales assistant. Last time I asked
for a refund, the assistant refused and I left
the shop red-faced.
Track 086, page 164
Man:  I was just contemplating … You
know how with eyelids, you can shut your
eyes, and not see anything?
Woman:  Well obviously.
Man:  Well hang on, my point is …
wouldn’t it be awesome if we also had
earlids?
Woman:  Ear what? There’s no such
thing!
Man:  Exactly, but if there was, you could
just block out whatever you didn’t want to
hear.
Woman:  Oh I get you. Well, you
already can. They’re called ear muffs or
ear plugs. They are available in shops and
online. You might have heard of them.
Man:  Well, somebody woke up with a
sarcastic head on today. Yes, I am aware
that these things exist. I guess I was
thinking more about some way to apply
this idea to technology. I just feel like I
never get any peace.
Woman:  You already can in some ways.
Take TV for example – you can use the
mute button if you don’t want to listen …
say … to the adverts and so forth. It lets
you just turn off the sound. And it’s easy
enough to switch your phone onto silent.
Man:  Yeah, that’s true. I was thinking
more about my smart phone. I have this
new taxi app. When you hail a ride,
there’s a feature where you can basically
mute the driver. By and large, that’s what I
use, so for instance, I can set my
preference to ‘quiet preferred’, so the
driver knows not to bother me with small-
talk. But then I can also toggle it to ‘happy
to chat’ if I’m feeling sociable.
24
Woman:  Ooh – lucky driver! Anyway,
as a rule, social media platforms and apps
do let you block stuff you don’t want to
hear, don’t they? Suppose you’re using
Instagram right, well, you can avoid seeing
certain messages. Let’s say you have a
friend who posts all these tedious selfies;
well, you can block these, and the friend
doesn’t even have to know. And you can
do the same thing on Twitter, on Facebook
and so on.
Man:  True, but more often than not, we
tend not to bother, don’t we? I guess I am
just being lazy. I still like the idea of having
earlids though …
Track 087, page 165
New research has demonstrated that when
parents read bedtime stories to babies, it
boosts their brain power. Studies
conducted on babies and toddlers suggest
that hearing the spoken language
influences a child’s communication skills.
Children whose parents spoke to them the
least performed the worst, and at the age
of 24 months, some were behind their
contemporaries by as much as six months.
Researchers concluded that performance
in cognitive tests depended on the amount
of contact between a child and their
parents. In one of the tests, babies and
toddlers sat in their parents’ laps in front of
a computer which displayed pictures of a
baby and a dog side by side. They were
then instructed to look at one or other of
the images by being told for examples to
‘Look at the baby’ or ‘Look at the doggy’.
Slow-motion cameras were used to
measure the speed of the child’s reaction.
With the youngest children, there was
usually a pause before they shifted their
gaze. But when the tests were done with
older children, researchers observed. a
quicker selection of the correct picture. In
one study, the difference between the
quicker and slower children was found to
be one-fifth of a second. The different
speeds were attributed to how much the
parents talked to their infants. Although the
differences were slight, they were
considered to assess reliably. a child’s
ability to process language. Researchers
consider the tests a prognostic tool which
can be of use for both parents and
educators, in that their performance in
these tests indicated. a child’s readiness for
school.
One researcher recommended that
parents use sophisticated language when
addressing their offspring, rather than
simplified baby-talk, saying ‘Children
cannot learn what they do not hear.’
Track 088, page 166
Narrator:  Now turn to part 2.
You will hear a student called Tony Nelson
talking about an experiment carried out
by the psychologist Solomon Asch.
For questions 1–8, complete the sentences
with a word or short phrase.
You now have 45 seconds to look at
part 2.
Tony Nelson:  Hello. I’m Tony Nelson
and I’d like to tell you about an influential
experiment conducted by psychologist
Solomon Asch in the 1950s which asked
fundamental questions about human
behaviour and the extent people will go to
to conform. He showed people four lines
on a piece of paper, and they had to
identify the pair that were equal in size.
This should have been straightforward, but
when the other people gave the same
incorrect answer (as they’d agreed in
advance that they would), then the person
tended to give the same incorrect answer
too. They understandably would have
made the assumption that the others sitting
the test with them were real participants,
just as they were. In actual fact of course
they were collaborators in Asch’s
experiment.
In about one-third of cases, they simply
went along with what the others had done,
and gave the wrong answer, identifying
line A or line B instead of line C. After the
experiment, the rationale for the deception
was made clear to them. Relief was
expressed by a large portion of them, as
during the experiment they’d experienced
a degree of worry on hearing that others
were giving answers they felt were wrong,
and that there seemed to be consensus
between them. This led them to consider
the group as a whole to be better
informed. Others who had conformed
indicated an unwillingness for the group to
regard them as peculiar because of their
response not conforming.
One thing to add, though, is that various
versions of the experiment were
performed. The researchers sometimes
found that in fact there wasn’t enough peer
pressure to make any difference to
people’s responses, so there was no need
to conform with just one or two others. So
the probability of an incorrect answer
being given clearly depended to some
extent on group size. In others, critical
subjects had enough time to realize that
there was collusion, and that then didn’t
affect their answer.
Another variation was to have the right
answer also provided by one of the others.
Then, even if a majority had still answered
incorrectly, it was found that the critical
subject would never give the wrong
answer. This suggests how having allies
apparently reduces the pressure to
reiterate what others have said.
Over the years, Asch’s Conformity
Experiment has gone down in history for
asking really challenging questions about
human nature. Yet you could argue that it
has its faults – it didn’t feature a wide
cross-section of society. Nor did it involve
people of both genders or from different
social groups, as would probably be done
these days. It was actually restricted to
male students, so wasn’t as representative
as perhaps it could have been.
And perhaps you could argue that it was
very much ‘of its time’. Culture has
changed enormously since the 1950s. Back
then, great importance was placed on
obedience, and that’s arguably not so true
of nowadays. So this and other
experiments in psychology from back then
perhaps tell us more about the period than
they do about human nature.
Narrator:  Now you’ll hear the talk
again.
Repeat talk
Narrator:  That’s the end of part 2.
Track 089, page 171
Conversation 1 you, and we’ll take it from there?
Martha:  Hello, well my name’s Martha.
Thank you for coming to see me.
Woman 1:  Thank you. I’ve never been
to a counselling session before!
Martha:  Oh right, well, it goes without
saying that what is said in this room is and
remains strictly confidential. Anyway, how
can I help?
Woman 1:  OK, so I’ve been with this
company for a few years now, but the
thing is that a junior colleague who started
working here after me, and who I didn’t
think much of, has recently been promoted
to become my line manager. And she’s
starting to get on my nerves – she likes to
throw her weight around and thinks she
can boss me around. It makes my blood
boil, to be quite frank with you.
Conversation 2
Martha:  Right, well, let’s get started. If
you could begin by explaining what it is
you wanted to talk about …
Man:  Well, I’ve got my end-of-year
exams coming up, and to be honest, I’m
finding it’s all getting on top of me. I’m
revising all the time because I feel
overwhelmed by the amount I’ve got to get
through. I’m starting to feel that I’m at the
end of my tether, which is why I thought
that some counselling might point me in
the right direction.
Conversation 3
Martha:  Right, why don’t you talk me
through whatever it is that’s preoccupying
you, and we’ll take it from there?
Woman 2:  You see, I’ve recently
become engaged, and I know I should be
over the moon about it, because he’s a
great guy and everything. But he keeps
saying we need to make wedding plans,
and whenever he does I just change
the subject.
Track 090, page 171
A In your case, it sounds as though you
are overloaded, and are cramming as
much work as you can into each day.
But quantity of work and quality of
work are not the same thing. You need
to have time out and let off steam, and
do something you enjoy. So go for a
run, or do something different, because
just slaving away at your desk for hours
on end is likely to be counterproductive.
You’ve got to take time to give yourself
a breather.
B Well, I’m glad you’ve taken the decision
to reach out to me. It sounds as though
you’re in two minds about whether to
go ahead or not. But whatever you
decide, it’s got to be a decision you take
in your own time, and not under duress.
C I can sense that you feel undermined by
this, but the truth is that you no longer
have the sort of seniority over this
person that you perhaps feel you used
to. And if they are the one you report
to, well, you’ll need to just come to
terms with it. And I think you are just
going to have to face up to the fact.
Track 091, page 171
Conversation 1
Martha:  Hello, well my name’s Martha.
Thank you for coming to see me.
Woman 1:  Thank you. I’ve never been
to a counselling session before!
Martha:  Oh right, well, it goes without
saying that what is said in this room is and
remains strictly confidential. Anyway, how
can I help?
Woman 1:  OK, so I’ve been with this
company for a few years now, but the
thing is that a junior colleague who started
working here after me, and who I didn’t
think much of, has recently been promoted
to become my line manager. And she’s
starting to get on my nerves – she likes to
throw her weight around and thinks she
can boss me around. It makes my blood
boil, to be quite frank with you.
Martha:  I can sense that you feel
undermined by this, but the truth is that
you no longer have the sort of seniority
over this person that you perhaps feel you
used to. And if they are the one you report
to, well, you’ll need to just come to terms
with it. And I think you are just going to
have to face up to the fact.
Conversation 2
Martha:  Right, well, let’s get started. If
you could begin by explaining what it is
you wanted to talk about.
Man:  Well, I’ve got my end-of-year
exams coming up, and to be honest I’m
finding it’s all getting on top of me.
I’m revising all the time because I feel
overwhelmed by the amount I’ve got to get
through. I’m starting to feel that I’m at the
end of my tether, which is why I thought
that some counselling might point me in
the right direction.
Martha:  In your case, it sounds as
though you are overloaded, and are
cramming as much work as you can into
each day. But quantity of work and quality
of work are not the same thing. You need
to have time out and let off steam, and do
something you enjoy. So go for a run, or
do something different, because just
slaving away at your desk for hours on
end is likely to be counterproductive.
You’ve got to take time to give yourself a
breather.
Conversation 3
Martha:  Right, why don’t you talk me
through whatever it is that’s preoccupying
Woman 2:  You see, I’ve recently
become engaged, and I know I should be
over the moon about it, because he’s a
great guy and everything. But he keeps
saying we need to make wedding plans,
and whenever he does I just change the
subject.
Martha:  Well, I’m glad you’ve taken the
decision to reach out to me. It sounds as
though you’re in two minds about whether
to go ahead or not. But whatever you
decide, it’s got to be a decision you take in
your own time, and not under duress.
UNIT 13
Track 092, page 172
Speaker 1:  I’ve ended up in hot water a
couple of times. I don’t think I was aware
how reckless speeding could be. However,
I ended up in trouble with the police, and
was in danger of losing my licence. As
part of my punishment, I had to watch
some educational videos that showed the
consequences of real life accidents. Some
of them were horrific. It was a bit of a
wake-up call. After that, I wasn’t prepared
to expose myself or anyone I love to the
risk of serious injury. And what for? Just so
I can arrive somewhere 30 seconds earlier.
It’s not worth the risk.
Speaker 2:  You know what they say – if
it sounds too good to be true then it
probably is. In my case, I had the
misfortune to get taken in by an
unscrupulous financial advisor who offered
me a guaranteed double-your-money
investment. I took out a second mortgage
to fund it, which was really unwise. The
bank threatened to repossess my house
because I couldn’t pay back what I’d
borrowed. Putting my family’s home in
jeopardy was really stupid. It was a really
difficult time.
AUDIOSCRIPTS 25
Speaker 3:  I thought to myself, why not,
give it a go. To be honest, most of my
friends were surprised because they know
I’m scared of heights and they would ask
things like, ‘What happens if the chute
doesn’t open?’, you know, that sort of
thing. So I spoke to the instructors and they
explained how they take the necessary
precautions so that you don’t get injured.
I couldn’t believe how professional they
were during the actual jump. All
equipment was double checked. I suppose
people’s lives are at stake so they will not
leave anything to chance.
Speaker 4:  We knew it the moment we
met. We just felt that chemistry, that spark
between us. And then everything
happened so fast. Before I knew it he had
proposed and we had moved in together.
A month or so later, we tied the knot in a
small private ceremony. I know it sounds
like some crazy whirlwind romance, but
sometimes in life you have to follow your
heart and just take the plunge. And two
years later, we are still going strong.
Track 093, page 176
Speaker 1:  I’ve now been living as a
hermit for the last eight years. Although
the word hermit has religious associations,
that’s not my motivation. I was living a
highly pressured lifestyle as a banker in
London and realised I just couldn’t take the
stress any more. I now live a simple life
with only very occasional connectivity – no
wifi, landline or TV, though I do listen to
the radio news occasionally. I’m close to
nature and fairly self-sufficient thanks to
my chickens and vegetable garden,
although I must admit I do sometimes do
get bored of eating the same thing day
after day. People assume I must get lonely
but since I’ve chosen to be alone, that’s not
really true.
Speaker 2:  I made the decision to go
off-grid in 2017. I’d been into green issues
for a while and this was a way of
committing wholeheartedly to a more
sustainable lifestyle. I gradually became
more appalled by the level of consumerism
in society, and I realised that dropping out
was the only solution for me. I live in a
caravan near a stream – a water source is
vital for this lifestyle. In winter it can be a
bit of a challenge as there are limited
hours of daylight. I fish and forage for
food, including mushrooms, nettles and
berries, and only go to the shop for
essentials once a month.
Speaker 3:  I’d been raised in a
nomadic community for the first 12 years
of my life, so when my parents made the
decision to live in a city, it was a bit of a
shock. I never really adapted to the
restrictions of metropolitan life. I think our
nomadic heritage was just not compatible
with it, so when I was old enough,
26
I returned to our tribe. Occasional
loneliness is an inevitable part of this
lifestyle. My tribe is fairly small anyway
and to some extent I am an outsider within
it because our family’s previous decision to
leave had offended the tribal elders,
meaning that my interaction with others is
limited. The one thing I miss from our time
in the city is the friends I made.
Speaker 4:  Living in a commune, I think
we do suffer from an image problem.
There is a clichéd view that people who
live in communes, or intentional
communities as they’re now called, are
tree-hugging hippies who don’t wash and
hate the outside world. So we do face a lot
of abuse from people who live nearby. But
I’ve been in this low-impact development
for two years now, and I love it. What
attracted me to it was the idea of living
collaboratively with like-minded people.
We don’t do everything together and rules
are kept to a minimum, but it makes sense
to share land, produce and skills. I think
communal living has definitely moved on
since the 1970s.
Speaker 5:  I’m considered a bit
eccentric round here because I live with 16
wolves! I didn’t set out to start a wolf
sanctuary – it just happened. One day I
took my husky, Luna, to the vet and he told
me about a badly injured wolf who
needed fostering. I had a huge piece of
land adjoining my house, so I agreed to
look after him. Chase, as I called him,
developed a close bond with Luna, so
when I heard about an orphaned wolf
pup, I didn’t hesitate. I soon got a
reputation and before I knew it, I had a
whole pack. They are definitely less
domesticated than dogs but they are no
threat to me. The only downside is the
grocery bill!
Track 094, page 177
Speaker 1:  I have always had a
burning ambition to be a rock star, but I
don’t think I have the talent.
Speaker 2:  I have nothing but the
utmost respect for anyone prepared to risk
their life for someone else.
Speaker 3:  I’m in fairly good shape, but
doing a triathlon will be the ultimate test of
my endurance.
Speaker 4:  Her crowning moment was
when she led the team onto the pitch as
captain in the final of the World Cup.
Speaker 5:  I love hearing about people
who have overcome overwhelming odds to
succeed in life.
Speaker 6:  My early successes in
setting up my own business proved to be
something of a false dawn. It soon became
apparent that making it as an independent
business woman would be more difficult
than I thought.
Speaker 7:  I made a vain attempt to
change her mind, but she has set her heart
on moving to Hollywood to pursue the
career of an actor.
Speaker 8:  He could have been the
best in the world, but he lacked the
dedication and drive necessary to make it
to the top. To my mind, his career
represents a pointless waste of talent.
Track 095, page 178
I’m going to talk about the first and third
photos. As far as I can tell, the first photo
shows tourists, standing outside a busy
attraction and the most obvious danger in
this one would be from criminals. Having
said that, there is unlikely to be any
physical risk in such a crowded location as
this – they’re just after your money. In
contrast, the third photo shows some kind
of building site, maybe for a skyscraper.
The danger in this one is from the
hazardous working environment itself – the
risk of falling debris, or perhaps of falling
from the scaffolding.
Each of these situations calls for different
precautions. At the tourist destination, I’d
recommend wearing a money belt under
your clothes in order to make it difficult for
thieves to access your valuables. On a
building site you are actually required by
law to take precautions, such as wearing a
safety helmet in case of falling objects or
fluorescent jackets so that you can be
clearly seen. Also, you probably have to
do some kind of health and safety training
so that you’re aware of the hazards and
how to avoid them.
Track 096, page 178
I’m going to talk about the first and third
photos. As far as I can tell, the first photo
shows tourists, standing outside a busy
attraction and the most obvious danger in
this one would be from criminals. Having
said that, there is unlikely to be any
physical risk in such a crowded location as
this – they’re just after your money. In
contrast, the third photo shows some kind
of building site, maybe for a skyscraper.
The danger in this one is from the
hazardous working environment itself – the
risk of falling debris, or perhaps of falling
from the scaffolding.
Track 097, page 178
I’m going to talk about the first and third
photos. As far as I can tell, the first photo
shows tourists, standing outside a busy
attraction and the most obvious danger in
this one would be from criminals. Having
said that, there is unlikely to be any
physical risk in such a crowded location as
this – they’re just after your money. In
contrast, the third photo shows some kind
of building site, maybe for a skyscraper.
The danger in this one is from the
hazardous working environment itself – the
risk of falling debris, or perhaps of falling
from the scaffolding.
Track 098, page 178
Each of these situations calls for different
precautions. At the tourist destination, I’d
recommend wearing a money belt under
your clothes in order to make it difficult for
thieves to access your valuables. On a
building site you are actually required by
law to take precautions, such as wearing a
safety helmet in case of falling objects or
fluorescent jackets so that you can be
clearly seen. Also, you probably have to
do some kind of health and safety training
so that you’re aware of the hazards and
how to avoid them.
Track 099, page 181
Narrator:  Now turn to part 4.
Part 4 consists of two tasks. You’ll hear five
short extracts in which people are talking
about a positive change in their lives. Look
at Task 1. For questions 1–5, choose from
the list (A–H) what each speaker says he
or she was like before the change. Now
look at Task 2. For questions 6–10, choose
from the list (A–H) what each speaker says
caused the change to happen.
While you listen you must complete both
tasks.
You now have 45 seconds to look at
part 4.
Speaker 1:  I used to be a terrible couch
potato. I would get home from work and
just crash out in front of the TV until it was
time to go to bed. For me, the catalyst to
turn my life around came unexpectedly.
A well-known athlete came to my local
library for a book signing event. On a
whim, I just decided to go in and see what
all the fuss was about. As soon as he
started speaking, I was enthralled. He too
had been a layabout like me, but after a
health scare, he’d taken up running. I
found him truly inspirational and the very
next day I went for my first jog! I now run
at least 10 km a day.
Speaker 2:  I’d always known I was
adopted. My parents gave me everything
but I always had a feeling that a piece of
the jigsaw was missing. Then just a few
weeks after my 18th birthday, a letter
arrived from the agency who’d arranged
my adoption. Apparently, my birth mother,
Magda, had been desperate to meet me
and now that I’d come of age, she was
finally permitted to reach out to me. Mum
and Dad were with me every step of the
way and verified her story that she’d been
forced to give me up. The strange thing is
that Magda and I are like two peas in a
pod. The missing piece has been found!
So finally, the missing piece of the jigsaw
has been found!
Speaker 3:  Losing a leg while on active
duty completely turned my life upside-
down. For a real-life action man,
everything changed. Suddenly, I was sat at
home, reflecting on what had happened
and feeling depressed. I was determined
not to get the prosthetic limb being offered
to me. When I failed to attend
appointments, the army nurse, refusing to
take no for an answer, turned up at my
house. Over endless cups of tea, she talked
me into giving it a try. I’m so glad I did.
I’ve never looked back. It’s a state-of-the-
art prosthetic, and my gait is so natural, no
one knows it’s there. I’ve even gone back
to work in a desk job, which surprisingly,
I really love.
Speaker 4:  My decision to become
vegan didn’t happen overnight, but it
wasn’t until I became aware of how society
was moving towards a more health-
conscious lifestyle that I actually took the
plunge. I felt so guilty when I read about
factory farming and how world poverty is
linked to meat production. Where I live in
London, most restaurants and shops offer
vegan options. I started by doing meatless
Monday and adding more fruit and veg to
my diet. Bit by bit I realised that I didn’t
need animal products at all. It’s great
being part of a community that cares for
animals and the environment and is also a
fashionable lifestyle choice.
Speaker 5:  I can’t believe it took me so
long to discover riverboat living. I only got
into it because the cost of renting in the
area had become prohibitive. I saw a
documentary about a woman who had
bought a barge and paid weekly for
mooring in the city, which was a lot
cheaper than a flat. To be honest, my
narrow boat is more spacious than my old
studio apartment – I had zero room for
storage and kept a lot of my stuff at my
parents’ house. The boat has the huge
advantage of being moveable. If any of
my neighbours get a bit raucous, I simply
move downriver to a new mooring.
Narrator:  Now you’ll hear part 4 again.
Repeat Speakers 1–5
Narrator:  That’s the end of part 4.
Track 100, page 183
Speaker 1:  It’s always a good idea to
bring a support crew with you – even the
most experienced person may miss a
hazard due to ‘familiarity blindness’ –
when you’ve done this so many times, you
don’t notice what’s right in front of you.
Never neglect your pre-flight checks as
they can literally be the difference between
life and death. Inspect the glider itself as
well as every single piece of equipment
that you are going to use. At this stage,
take the time to tighten loose fittings and
examine your wing tips, bolts, ropes
and harness. Do a hang test to make
doubly sure everything feels secure. Don’t
stint on safety equipment – get a high
quality helmet and parachute. The next
piece of advice I’m going to give may
sound obvious, but in my experience, it
needs repeating frequently. Avoid flying
into bad weather at all costs. Check the
forecast not just before leaving home but
as part of your final safety checks. If there
is a storm anywhere in the vicinity, abort
your flight. Remember that gusts can be
felt as far as 100 miles from the eye of the
storm.
Speaker 2:  Never underestimate the
value of the buddy system. Whatever your
level of experience, having a buddy is a
fool-proof way of staying safe. Your buddy
will help you put on and check your
equipment, monitor your depth and air
supply and support you in case of
emergency. As a buddy yourself, it is your
job to be aware of his or her equipment
and how any safety releases work. You
should ensure you are familiar with the
location of your buddy’s alternate air
source and how to check his or her tank
pressure and make sure hoses are free of
tangles. It is vital that you establish a way
of communicating with each other when
you’re underwater. Decide on how you will
communicate key messages. It is not
enough to verbally agree on this: practise
any agreed gestures and review them
every time you dive.
UNIT 14
Track 101, page 184
Speaker 1:  Avocados – they do cost
quite a bit, I suppose, and although I’d
prefer it if they were cheaper, they’ve been
linked to improving digestion. And, as I
often feel quite bloated after eating, my
digestive system needs all the help it can
get. So it’s worth paying a high price for
them.
Speaker 2:  There are some things that
no child ever seems to like – sprouts are a
good example. Sprouts have a bitter taste,
and children are born with a preference
for sweet things and not bitter flavours. So
while it’s natural that adults want to nudge
children towards eating sprouts, it’s better
to just wait till they’re older, as by then,
they’ll be more tolerant of bitter tastes.
Speaker 3:  Every time another
so-called expert appears on TV to tell us
what we can and can’t eat, I roll my eyes.
One week it’s don’t eat so-and-so because
it’s bad for your heart. The next it’s eat so-
and-so because it’s high in antioxidants
and good for your skin, or whatever.
I mean, it’s got to the point that I don’t
know who to believe, so you end up
believing nobody.
AUDIOSCRIPTS 27
 Track 102, page 185
Dialogue 1
Woman:  It seems you can’t open a
magazine these days without hearing
about these so-called ‘superfoods’.
Man:  Oh, things like avocado,
blueberries, salmon, pumpkin seeds …
Woman:  Basically anything that’s good
for you really. The thing is, it isn’t
necessary for, say, blueberries to have any
unique properties, just that they meet
certain basic criteria – then they can be
classified as a superfood.
Man:  Just a marketing exercise, it’s
probably just whatever the supermarkets
want to sell more of!
Woman:  Take blueberries – they’re said
to keep down the blood pressure of post-
menopausal women, improve coordination
in rats, and resist memory degeneration in
old age, if you listen to all the hype. Well
in actual fact, they do anything but, for the
vast majority of people.
Man:  How come?
Woman:  Well, the benefits have been
shown to exist, but only in a modest
section of the population – women over
50, or whatever. It’s so easy to be taken in,
as I was, if you overlook the small print
and just assume it works for everyone. My
fault I suppose for reading in a hurry, but
easily done!
Dialogue 2
Man:  What did you think of the training
session earlier?
Woman:  Mental health and wellbeing in
the workplace? Well, that’s one hour of my
life I won’t get back! Total waste of time!
Man:  Oh, I think you’re being a bit harsh.
I mean, the trainer talked about common
little frustrations, like, say, an argument
with a friend or family member … over
time, you can become preoccupied with
these, and they do get blown out of
proportion. If she hadn’t made all of that
so clear – using those anecdotes – I don’t
think I’d have found it so useful. But when
she finished I felt that I sort of understood
myself better, if you know what I mean. It
was all quite abstract though, a lot of it, so
I still need to figure out if I can actually
implement it on a day-to-day basis.
Woman:  Right.
Dialogue 3
Man:  So, have you tried out your new
fitness app yet?
Woman:  I have, yeah. I’m hoping it’ll
help me lose some weight, but the jury’s
still out on that. Obviously it’s going to be
more than a couple of days. The thing is,
if I don’t manage it, it’s more likely to be
down to my giving up, rather than there
being some sort of shortcoming with
the app.
28
Man:  At least you’ll be able to blame the
app though!
Woman:  Ha ha. I’d feel I’d let myself
down though … I often get these new
apps on impulse, but then I’m one of these
people who sometimes chucks things in on
impulse too … But lots of my friends use
fitness apps to stay in shape, and it’s
worked well for them. So I’ll just have to
see.
Man:  Well, go for it – I’m sure you can
stay with it!
Track 103, page 187
Examiner:  In this part of the test, I’m
going to give you each three pictures. I’d
like you to talk about two of them on your
own for about a minute and also to
answer a question briefly about your
partner’s pictures.
Candidate A, it’s your turn first. Here are
your pictures. They show people checking
information in different situations. I’d like
you to compare two of the pictures and
say what the people might be checking
and how useful the information might be.
Candidate A:  OK, I am going to talk
about the first and the third pictures. The
first picture … would be the most useful.
Examiner:  Thank you. Candidate B –
who do you think needs to check the
information most carefully?
Candidate B:  Well, I would say …
Track 104, page 187
Speaker 1:  As far as I can tell, the
photo shows a doctor or scientist checking
a brain scan. She might be looking for
abnormalities or studying brain activity as
part of some research.
Speaker 2:  It’s not entirely clear, but my
guess would be that they are checking the
nutritional information because one of
them has an allergy, but equally they may
well be simply comparing the prices of the
two products.
Speaker 3:  Judging by the fact that the
woman’s finger is touching the device, I’m
fairly sure that she is measuring her blood
sugar level. My impression is that she is
diabetic, but I could be wrong.
Speaker 4:  I would imagine that these
kinds of checks are important but the fact
that she is able to administer them herself
suggests that, in all likelihood, we are not
looking at a medical emergency.
Speaker 5:  In this picture, they don’t
look as if they are particularly concerned,
so I would suppose that what they are
checking is a question of personal taste
rather than medical necessity.
Track 105, page 188
Dan:  Hi Anita, how’s it going? How was
your weekend?
Anita:  Well, let’s just say it didn’t turn out
quite as we had expected.
Dan:  Oh, how come?
Anita:  Well, it’s my grandma. She was
taken ill and rushed into hospital on
Saturday morning. So I was visiting her.
Dan:  Oh no!
Anita:  I knew that last week she’d been
getting a bit under the weather – you
know, just a sore throat, stiff joints, that
kind of thing. Nothing too serious.
Dan:  Right.
Anita:  But then… I guess because she
sort of lost her appetite, and couldn’t be
bothered to feed herself ...
Dan:  Yeah, one thing leads to another.
Anita:  Exactly, and she’d become
dehydrated too. But her state of health
really took a turn for the worse. And quite
quickly too.
Dan:  Oh dear.
Anita:  So then by Saturday, I think she
panicked because she figured out that
something was more seriously wrong with
her, you know, that it might be terminal,
and that she might even be at death’s door
already.
Dan:  Oh no, Anita, you don’t mean …
she isn’t …?
Anita:  Oh no, not my gran. She’s very
much alive and kicking, don’t you worry!
Dan:  I’m glad to hear it. So what was
wrong with her?
Anita:  Well, they haven’t been able to
diagnose anything specific.
Dan:  She’s retired isn’t she?
Anita:  Yeah, but since she retired she’s
been leading a very sedentary lifestyle,
you know, just sat in her chair watching TV
almost all day. But, you know, everyone
needs to move about a bit to stay in shape.
And she didn’t have a balanced diet, you
know, too many sugary snacks, rather than
the square meals she should be having.
Dan:  Yeah, well, I guess it’s easier to
snack than to cook something healthy.
Anita:  Exactly. Well, the doctor told her
about the effect that all those chocolates
were having on her. And that it’s best for
her to kick the habit altogether.
Dan:  I mean, I suppose that sounds
obvious to us, but then, if she really likes
chocolate, it’s not exactly what you want to
hear.
Anita:  Exactly, it was a bitter pill to
swallow at first.
Dan:  What job did she use to do?
Anita:  She was a nurse, actually. So
deep down, of course, she knows that it’s
the right thing to do. And I joked with her
that after years of her being the one telling
her patients to eat more of this or less of
that, or to cut out the cigarettes … well
now she’s getting a taste of her own
medicine!
Dan:  Did she see the funny side? quickly between matches, so it’s a
Anita:  Oh yes, she never lost her sense necessary evil in that respect. But on top of
of humour, even when she was really that, I find it really relaxes my mind. It’s a
poorly. real mental effort to sit still in freezing
Dan:  That’s great. Well, it’s awesome that water, just focusing on my breathing,
she’s on the mend. And hopefully she’ll be almost like meditation. When I get out, I
home soon. may be shivering but I feel rejuvenated,
Anita:  Probably being discharged like my brain has been rebooted.
tomorrow. So yeah, great news!
Track 107, page 195
Track 106, page 190 OK, I’m going to explain how to make
Speaker 1:  For me the key is diet. I see bigos, which is a traditional meat dish, a
my body as a machine, one that requires kind of casserole really. And it’s certainly a
the correct fuel and needs regular contender to be Poland’s national dish.
maintenance if it is to avoid breaking There are various ways it can be made,
down. As a result, I am extremely careful but the one thing you have got to have is
with what I eat. I plan and prepare all my cabbage. A lot of people like to use
own meals, trying to ensure that I only buy sauerkraut, in other words pickled
the freshest ingredients and that each meal cabbage. It’s actually best to start off by
has a good balance of the nutrients that a rinsing the cabbage under a cold tap.
body needs. It’s not easy but I have Then you boil it for a couple of minutes,
managed to cut out a lot of bad habits like then strain it and put aside the water for
eating junk food, drinking caffeine and later. And now for the meat. On menus in
eating between meals. So has it been Poland, you often see bigos glossed as
worth it? In a word, yes. I used to feel being ‘hunter’s stew’, not because that’s a
lethargic and lacking in motivation, but direct equivalent of the word, but because
since I changed my dietary habits, I am full the idea was that whatever a hunter
of energy and my mind always feels clear brought back from his trip could be added
and sharp. to the stew. My preference is to use game
meat like venison because it adds to the
Speaker 2:  My thing for feeling good
flavour. You dice the meat so it’s in cubes.
about myself is beauty treatments. I love
Melt some butter into a pan, then fry the
having my hair or nails done, or hanging
meat with some sliced onion. It’s also good
out with friends and getting makeovers.
to season it at this stage with salt and
And recently, for a birthday treat, my mum
pepper, and I find that garlic and bay
booked us into a day spa. Oh my god,
leaves really bring out the flavour like
now that was amazing. We each had a
nothing else. Then add in the cabbage and
massage to start with, which was out of
the cabbage water that you saved earlier
this world. Neither I nor my mum had had
and stir the mixture. Bring it to the boil and
one before, and so we had no idea what
then turn down the heat and let it simmer
to expect. But it was wonderful. The
for at least 30 minutes but up to an hour
combination of massage, relaxing music
and a half if you have time. And once it’s
and incense relaxed me so much that I
ready, most people find that it actually
actually drifted off and the masseuse had
improves with age, so you can leave it a
to wake me up at the end. The rest of the
few days before eating it. It goes really
time was spent alternating between the
well with dark bread, which you can dip in
sauna and the jacuzzi. It was a lovely day.
so it soaks up the sauce. Makes me
It’s a pity that we can’t afford to do it more
peckish just thinking about it!
often. I was so chilled out when we got
home. And my skin looked amazing.
Speaker 3:  As a professional
sportsman, finding the right ways to
recover from intense exercise or from
minor injuries is essential to how well I
perform. After particularly demanding
games that have taken a lot out of me, I
have an ice bath, which consists of 8–10
minutes submerged up to my face in very
cold water. The first time I tried it, I have to
admit, it was really hard. At no point did I
feel comfortable. The first two minutes
were the most difficult – I just wanted to get
out of there as fast as I could. But slowly, I
got used to it and nowadays, I don’t even
think about it. So why do I put myself
through such torture? Well, I have found
that it helps my muscles recover more

AUDIOSCRIPTS 29
ENGLISH FOR SPANISH
SPEAKERS
AUDIOSCRIPT
VOCABULARY
1 TRAVEL
Track 108, page 231
1 Hell’s Kitchen and Harlem are famous
neighbourhoods in New York.
NEIGHBOURHOODS – N-E-I-G-H-B-
O-U-R-H-O-O-D-S
2 A lot of our country’s imports are
transported from the ports by freight
train. FREIGHT – F-R-E-I-G-H-T
3 Airport security gave my hand luggage
a thorough inspection. THOROUGH –
T-H-O-R-O-U-G-H
4 Highway 85 is supposedly the world’s
longest straight road at 1,116 km.
STRAIGHT – S-T-R-A-I-G-H-T
5 It’s fair to say that I never enjoy sailing
on very rough seas. ROUGH – R-O-U-
G-H
6 After a lengthy chase, the police
eventually caught up with the thieves.
CAUGHT – C-A-U-G-H-T
Track 109, page 231
1 teacher, instructor, officer
2 excursion, diversion, transportation,
navigation
10 ceiling
3 pavement, infringement, derailment
4 about, enough, away, around, above
Track 110, page 231
1 station
2 roundabout
3 traveller
4 mechanic
5 motorway
6 accelerate
7 harbour
8 terminal
10 ceiling – C-E-I-L-I-N-G
9 submarine
10 neighbourhood
3  MONEY AND FINANCE
Track 111, page 234
Tony:  So you spent a couple of days in
London last week?
Maxine:  Yes, I finally decided to dip into
that money that I had been putting aside
for the past year.
Tony:  Great! So, what did you do then?
Maxine:  Well, first of all, after treating
myself to a gourmet meal at that new
French restaurant in Regent Street, I
splashed out £900 on those new shoes I’d
told you about.
Tony:  Wow! When am I going to see
these amazing shoes?
Maxine:  At Sally’s wedding next month.
Tony:  Great, I’m looking forward to
seeing them, all £900 of them.
30
Maxine:  You’ll be pleased to hear that
I’ve not just spent everything on frivolous
things though. I’ve used some of what I
had saved up to settle that bill I had run up
on my credit card.
Tony:  That must be a weight off your
mind!
Maxine:  Yes, it’s a good feeling to
finally have some money after all those
years of scraping by.
Tony:  Yes, you’ve had a difficult time,
since you started your university course.
Maxine:  Yes, it was tough. I can’t thank
you enough for all your help. I don’t think I
would have got by if you’d not bailed me
out when I had to cough up the money for
the deposit.
Tony:  No need to thank me. I am always
happy to be of help to my darling baby
sister.
Track 112, page 235
1 achieve
2 receipt
3 thief
4 weird
5 grief
6 relieve
7 priest
8 field
9 deceive
Track 113, page 235
1 achieve – A-C-H-I-E-V-E
2 receipt – R-E-C-E-I-P-T
3 thief – T-H-I-E-F
4 weird – W-E-I-R-D
5 grief – G-R-I-E-F
6 relieve – R-E-L-I-E-V-E
7 priest – P-R-I-E-S-T
8 field – F-I-E-L-D
9 deceive – D-E-C-E-I-V-E
Track 114, page 235
1 I just read that 1% of the population
owns 50% of the wealth on the planet,
which frankly is shocking. WEALTH –
W-E-A-L-T-H
2 She is the heir to a family fortune of
over $10,000,000. HEIR – H-E-I-R
3 The foreign minister has asked for more
funds to help the earthquake victims in
other countries. FOREIGN – F-O-R-E-I-
G-N
4 It turned out that the money was
counterfeit, so I couldn’t spend it and
had to report it to the police.
COUNTERFEIT – C-O-U-N-T-E-R-F-E-I-T
5 Never lend money to your friends.
It can put your relationship under
serious strain. FRIENDS – F-R-I-E-N-D-S
6 At the height of the financial crisis,
unemployment reached 20%. HEIGHT –
H-E-I-G-H-T
4 HISTORY
Track 115, page 237
1 I’m absolutely terrible at remembering
important historical dates.
2 I’ve never had a good memory. At one
time I used to put notes up in the kitchen
to remind myself to do things.
3 The other day, I thought I’d lost my
credit card. I searched everywhere for it
and was about to have it cancelled,
when my husband called me to let me
know that I had left it on my desk.
4 We’ve made you a photo book to
document your time here at the
archaeological site. It’s something to
remember us by when you get back to
your country. We sincerely hope it
reminds you of all the great times we
had together.
5  SPORTS AND LEISURE
Track 116, page 238
1 shooting range – I’m going to the
shooting range.
2 race track – She lives near a race track.
3 boxing ring – The fighters entered the
boxing ring.
4 ice rink – They play ice hockey at my
local ice rink.
5 bowling alley – Let’s meet up at the
bowling alley.
6 golf course – Donald Trump owns a golf
course in Scotland.
Track 117, page 239
1 The Russian boxer was perhaps the
most dangerous opponent he had ever
faced.
2 The players crowded angrily around the
referee after he produced a red car
and sent the defender off.
3 Strangely enough, magicians still
manage to attract interest even though
people realise that their art is mere
trickery.
4 Contestants in TV quiz shows can win
expensive gifts, exotic holidays or large
sums of money.
5 His injury was so serious that he had to
see a specialist in the USA.
6  THE WORLD ABOUT US
Track 118, page 240
1 The town council has just published a
detailed new online map of the public
transport network.
2 Tikal is an excellent example of an
extensive ancient Mayan city that lies
within the rainforests of Guatemala.
3 Our tour guide is that man over there
wearing the expensive-looking Italian
leather jacket.
4 The government has just announced
that it will be updating the train
network, starting with the purchase of
20 comfortable modern passenger
trains.
5 The two parts of the town are
connected by the elegant 12th century
wooden bridge, which is in urgent need
of repair.
GRAMMAR
1  CULTURE AND TRADITIONS
Track 119, page 243
1 every once in a while
2 twice a year
3 more often than not
4 every other day
5 from time to time
Track 120, page 243
1 The audience applauded
enthusiastically.
2 They celebrated the new year in style.
3 She must have rehearsed for weeks.
4 The local priest participated in all the
village cultural events at Easter.
5 The lead guitarist smashed his guitar on
stage at the end of the gig and then
jumped into the audience.
6 The students marched in support of
Greta Thunberg and blocked the streets
of the city centre.
7 When the President died, the whole
country mourned for three days.
8 The tourists who arrived for the festival
outnumbered the local inhabitants by 3
to 1. Some had even travelled from
other continents.
2  EMPLOYMENT AND CAREERS
Track 121, page 245
1 of
2 for
3 about
4 at
5 from
Track 122, page 245
1 Would you like a cup of coffee?
2 I haven’t got any time for breakfast.
3 We talked about his career plans.
4 Both of the reports are due at the end
of the week.
5 The company has employees from all
over the world.
Track 123, page 245
1 What is it about the applicant that you
disapprove of?
2 What are you waiting for?
3 What are you talking about?
4 What are you looking at?
5 Where do you come from?
Track 124, page 245
1 Obviously you’ve made a mistake.
2 He apologised sincerely for not inviting
her to the meeting.
3 Occasionally I need to work from
home.
4 The manager didn’t truly get why the
customer was so upset.
5 Actually, I think it would be better for all
of us if you left now.
6 She accidentally sent the email to the
wrong person.
7 It’s not like you to behave so
irresponsibly.
8 She spoke knowledgeably about the
effects of the economic crisis.
Track 125, page 245
1 Obviously you’ve made a mistake.
OBVIOUSLY – O-B-V-I-O-U-S-L-Y
2 He apologised sincerely for not inviting
her to the meeting. SINCERELY – S-I-N-
C-E-R-E-L-Y
3 Occasionally I need to work from
home. OCCASIONALLY – O-C-C-A-S-I-
O-N-A-L-L-Y
4 The manager didn’t truly get why the
customer was so upset. TRULY – T-R-U-
L-Y
5 Actually, I think it would be better for all
of us if you left now. ACTUALLY – A-C-T-
U-A-L-L-Y
6 She accidentally sent the email to the
wrong person. ACCIDENTALLY – A-C-
C-I-D-E-N-T-A-L-L-Y
7 It’s not like you to behave so
irresponsibly. IRRESPONSIBLY – I-R-R-E-
S-P-O-N-S-I-B-L-Y
8 She spoke knowledgeably about the
effects of the economic crisis.
KNOWLEDGEABLY – K-N-O-W-L-E-D-
G-E-A-B-L-Y
3  ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN,
ENGINEERING
Track 126, page 246
1 She’s working as a civil engineer now,
isn’t she?
2 You haven’t redrawn that blueprint for
the office yet, have you?
3 They don’t work for the same
construction company, do they?
4 The structural surveyor completed his
report yesterday, didn’t he?
5 She didn’t complete the survey as
required by Friday, did she?
6 Maria will complete the design by the
deadline, won’t she?
Track 127, page 246
1 Let’s go, shall we? I want to get to the
conference early.
2 So, she’s getting promoted to senior
engineer, is she? I’m surprised
about that.
3 You have no idea what you are talking
about, do you? How did you get this
job?
4 You can come up with a solution to the
problem faster than me, can you? Let’s
see then!
5 Open a window, will you?
6 You never listen to a word I say, do
you?
4 TECHNOLOGY
Track 128, page 249
1 I could have made a mistake when
saving the file.
2 They should have been here for the
catch-up meeting.
3 We must have missed the reference to
the blocked site.
4 I shouldn’t have downloaded the
attachment.
Track 129, page 249
Speaker 1:  My email address is
ryanwoodman12@yahoo.co.uk. That’s
Ryan with a y, double o on woodman and
then the number 12, all without spaces.
Oh and be careful at the end as it’s dot
C-O and not dot com.
Speaker 2:  You can contact me on
DeepBlueSky77@mail.ru. DeepBlueSky is
written as one word with no gaps but the
D, B and S are all uppercase. Then it’s
seventy seven, at mail dot r u.
Speaker 3:  It’s Waiting4_u@outside.
org. Capital W on waiting and the number
4 instead of the word for. Then an
underscore, followed by the letter u in
lowercase, instead of the word you.
Then it’s at outside dot org, O-R-G.
5  MEDIA, JOURNALISM
AND TV
Track 130, page 250
1 That new streaming service will have
much better films.
2 That new streaming service will have
much better films.
3 That new streaming service will have
much better films.
4 That new streaming service will have
much better films.
5 That new streaming service will have
much better films.
Track 131, page 250
1 The TV presenter didn’t lose his job over
the scandal, but he was taken off the
prime time show.
2 The sports section of that newspaper is
great, but the political coverage is
awful.
3 That show didn’t really interest me but
this one looks amazing.
ANSWER KEY 31